


White Noise

by Linsneakers



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Narukami Souji
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 10:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 75,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3689241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linsneakers/pseuds/Linsneakers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“...Body.” Was the simple word he heard himself say. “Dead body.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

His eyes snapped open, his heart beating rapidly as his breaths came out in quick waves. He glanced around the room in confusion, jumping and sliding up to the wall. Where was he? What was that dream he had? Forget the dream—where was he? This wasn't his room! Hesitantly, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Was he still dreaming? He had to be! And when he opened his eyes, he'd be back in his room and—

“Breakfast's ready!”

He opened his eyes slowly and glanced to the door, a short sigh of relief falling from his lips as he relaxed, shaking his head in dismay. Pushing himself off the wall, he skirted around the table in the room and picked up his new school uniform from off the couch. With his exhausting day yesterday, he'd forgotten he'd arrived in Inaba to live with his uncle and cousin for a year. The distant nightmare he'd had probably wasn't helping matters. He still felt tired and lightheaded. Breakfast would probably help.

Tugging at the hem of the uniform, he grunted in annoyance at how tight it was. It was constricting around his shoulders and under his armpits, too. Maybe he should have tried it on when he received it initially to make sure it fit right.

“Too late now...” he muttered to himself as he exited the bedroom, staring down to his hand as he twisted the door closed. The knob rattled in his hand as it trembled, and he suddenly realized how weak he felt.

Slowly starting down the stairs, he could hear plates being set on a table, the smell of eggs and toast wafting in the air and making his stomach rumble. He glanced around nervously when he reached the landing, watching as his young cousin stretched on her tip-toes to place plates on the counter.

When she hopped back down to the flats of her feet, she brushed away some crumbs on her dress as she turned and started to walk towards him. She raised her head and jumped in surprise when she saw him standing there.

“Sorry, did I startle you?” he asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I didn't hear you come downstairs,” she replied, voice meek as she fidgeted with her hands. “I made breakfast! C'mon, let's eat while it's still warm!”

She clambered back to the table and climbed onto her chair, watching him expectantly as he sat on the other side. He looked at the plate before him, eggs slightly runny and toast slightly burnt. He glanced up at his cousin, who had already started on her eggs. She stopped once she saw him staring, blush creeping onto her face.

“Nanako, did you make this all by yourself?” he questioned, slightly scowling at his body as his hands trembled picking up the fork and knife she'd set for him.

Nanako nodded, finishing her bite before answering, “Yeah. Daddy usually leaves for work real early, so he taught me how to make eggs and toast. Are you okay? You still don't look too good.”

He paused as he bit into the toast, the girl fidgeting in her seat as she stared at him worriedly.

“Are you still sick from the car ride?” she asked quietly before taking another bite of her breakfast. “Maybe you should stay home.”

His expression softened, turning into a smile at his cousin's concern. “Thank you, Nanako, but I'll be fine. Your delicious breakfast is making me feel better already.”

Her face lit up pink and he could her hear feet kicking wildly on the chair before she grinned back. “I'm glad!”

They resumed their breakfast in almost complete silence, Nanako commenting her dissatisfaction when it started to rain. After helping her wash the dishes, he ran back upstairs to grab his book bag, regretting the action when the room spun under his feet. Nanako gave him another look of concern as they slipped on their shoes, the girl locking the door before handing him a spare key they'd made before he'd arrived.

Nanako peered out from under the roof as the rain started coming down heavy. She sighed and the two opened up their umbrellas, the girl shivering as they started down the road. Past the pattering rain and their splashing footsteps, Nanako would comment on things rarely, explaining the streets and roads vaguely as they walked by. They made their way to a flood plain and Nanako pointed down the way, stating his school was over there. She wished him a good day before turning around and headed back the way they came.

He chewed absentmindedly on his lip, hoping she wouldn't be late to her classes for leading him here. He started his trek slowly, following the other teenagers in the same uniform as him as they ran or walked down the flood plain. His body trembled as the rain continued to fall, his breaths coming out in shakes as he followed the students absentmindedly. He slid his book bag to hang off his elbow as he brought his hand to his forehead, grimacing when his head started to pound. He paid no mind to the student that crashed his bike trying to steer and hold his umbrella at the same time—focusing on keeping his breaths steady and trying to calm his rapid heart. The rest of the walk was a blur—he barely registered his surroundings until there was a hand waving in his face.

He blinked rapidly, looking around in confusion. He was standing in front of a class, completely unaware of how he got there. Well, he walked, of course, but he couldn't remember... getting there.

He felt his face flush in embarrassment as the homeroom teacher—Mr. Morooka, he thought he remembered hearing—glared at him, his classmates murmuring.

“My name is Souji Narukami,” he greeted, rubbing his arm as he glanced to the ground, stopping when it caused his uniform to dig into his skin. Souji jumped in surprise as the teacher started going on a rant, spitting in his face about how since he was from the city, he was nothing more than a horny good-for-nothing. He stared in horror as the man continued his tirade, uncertain how to respond to the accusations thrown at his direction. He could feel his face burning up to his ears as the yelling and murmurs continued, his stomach churning and twisting, his head pounding.

“Excuse me! Can the transfer student sit here?” He turned to look at a girl who had called out, standing in her seat and pointing to the empty desk next to hers.

Morooka paused short, before snorting as he waved a hand. “Eh? Yeah, sure, fine, whatever. Go siddown.”

Souji nodded, quickly making his way towards the desk, trying to calm his breathing. The girl leaned over after a couple of moments when Morooka went on another spiel, lightly nudging his shoulder with her arm.

“He's the worst, isn't he?” she whispered. “I'm sorry you had to deal with that. You okay? You looked like you were gonna throw up on him.”

Souji stifled a laugh, giving his classmate a smile and a light shove back before snapping to attention as Morooka slammed a hand on his desk, staring the two teens down. He jumped again when the man slammed the desk behind him, hearing the student at the desk yelp in surprise.

“No sleeping in class, Hanamura!”

“S-Sorry, sir, it won't happen again!”

Souji swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat, sweat rolling down his brow as Morooka threw his hands up in the air and stalked back to the front of the class. The day passed by in a haze, the lectures lost to him as he tried to focus, only to realize nothing was staying with him. He found himself unbuttoning the uniform, only to find his shirt underneath soaked in sweat. He stared incredulously, suddenly overwhelmed with how uncomfortably warm he actually felt. His mind swam in circles, stomach twisting and knotting, head hammering, hands shaking as he went to grab his pencil.

“Hey, you are _not_ looking good.” The girl next to him commented, concern laced in her voice. “You want some of my lunch? It might help you feel better.”

“Chie, it might be better if we take him to the nurse's office,” another girl commented as she stood beside her desk.

“I'm sorry...” he mumbled, dragging his hands through his hair and grimacing in disgust at how much sweat there was. “I think... I should just... go home.”

The girls continued to fuss beside him as he packed his bag. He glanced around, hazily taking in the students doing there own thing. There was no teacher up front. Good, it _was_ lunch. He wasn't going to just walk out in the middle of a lecture and feel like even more of a fool. Slowly lifting himself from his seat, Souji turned to the two girls beside him and gave a weak smile before it fell as he stared at the brunette's obvious green jacket. He hadn't noticed it the entire time. He needed to get home.

“Thanks for saving me from Mr. Morooka earlier,” he said, putting a smile back on. “I'll... see you later, uh...”

The girl's eyes widened. “Oh! I'm Chie Satonaka, and this is Yukiko Amagi,” she stammered out quickly, pointing to the girl in red who had continued to stand beside her desk. Yukiko gave a short bow at the hasty introduction.

“It's a pleasure,” he started, blinking in horror as his environment faded to black before reappearing in a second. He swallowed nervously, unaware of the bile that had risen back up to his throat until it burned on the way down. “I... need to go.”

He hastily made his way out of the classroom, knees knocking and vision blurring, heart pounding, head pulsing. The school halls danced before him in smoky waves and he could feel curious eyes watching him, hear the hushed whispers as he wandered through. He didn't need to go to the nurse's office, he just had to get home and rest. He just wasn't used to the new environment, that was all... He was still lagged from his long day yesterday, that was all...

He found himself outside in a daze, watching as a student stormed by him on her way to the school, muttering something about leaving her cell phone at her desk. Souji continued forward, blinking and waving his trembling hand in front of his face. It looked faded—distant. The rain had stopped, but it was freezing. It was then that he realized there was fog, the mist brushing against his skin in cool ripples as his wobbly legs pushed himself forward. He could barely see, and he'd already forgotten the route he'd taken to get to the school in the first place.

Souji's breath hitched in his throat as he walked aimlessly through the empty streets, glancing and squinting as he tried to see if he could remember anything as a landmark. He paused abruptly, staring up at a telephone pole. Something wasn't right—there was a person. They were hanging off it it, upside down and absolutely still.

Souji blinked, rubbing his eyes and looking back up. He was seeing things, he had to be! No matter how many times he rubbed his eyes and glanced up at the silhouette, it remained. His heart leaping to his mouth, Souji stumbled backwards, falling to the ground and hitting his head on a cement wall behind him. His breaths came out laboured, the coolness of the fog doing nothing to dispel the hot sweat he found himself quickly covered in. Ripping off his uniform and throwing it to the side, he stared back up at the body. He thought he could feel it staring back.

Mouth dry and hands trembling, he reached into his pocket and flipped out his phone, scrolling through his contact list until he landed on his uncle's number. Placing it to his ear, he listened as the ringing sliced through the silence. After five rings, it cut to voicemail. Ending the call, he tried again, the rings echoing throughout his head, sending vibrations down his body as he could do nothing but stare.

“Souji?” There was hectic chaos going on in the background past his uncle's rough answer. “I'm at work. What do you need?”

Souji opened his mouth, cracked sounds coming out as he continued to look at the scene above him. Words died on his lips, head reeling and his answer was lost on him. It was right there, he was looking at it, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

“Souji? Souji, are you there? What's wrong? Are you okay?”

“...Body.” Was the simple word he heard himself say. “Dead body.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he gave his uncle confused and indirect directions. He wasn't sure where he was himself, but it seemed like his uncle had the area figured out based on his flimsy explanations. He had his phone resting listlessly in his hand on his lap, eyes closed while he tilted his head lightly to the side, trying to calm his breathing and quell the nausea that hovered in his gut.

The fog still shrouded around him, but he couldn't feel it's coolness anymore, only capable of feeling the heat radiating off of his burning skin. Sometimes his body jerked as he almost fell asleep against the wall, his eyes snapping open and his breathing turning rapid again. He could hear his heart in his ears—the loudest thing past the eerie silence that clouded around him. Souji swallowed, trying to get saliva back in his mouth before he found himself looking at the hazy silhouette of the body above. A shiver shot through his system and he shut his eyes, whimpering softly to himself. He wanted to curl his knees up to his chest, but he couldn't even do that—he could barely feel them.

He thought he heard the sound of a chime.

Hesitantly, Souji opened his eyes again, looking in confusion at the sight of a blue limousine in front of where he stood. When did he get up? A flash of worry spread into his mind when he realized he wasn't anywhere close to the scene. He looked around, unable to see anything past a fog even heavier than the one he'd been in moments before. He could feel someone watching him. He looked back to the oddly-coloured limousine, taking heavy steps backwards as he could feel inhabitants inside watching his every move. Where was he? What was going on?!

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

Shock coursing through his system, he lurched to the side in surprise, blinking heavily at the sight of his uncle and the flashing lights of police cars past him. Nostrils flaring as his breath came out in heavy waves, he clasped a hand to his mouth as he felt his insides burn and bubble, tears stinging in his eyes when he felt himself leaning away from his relative, vomiting onto the sidewalk.

His ears were ringing when he sat back against the wall, weeping violently when the feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him. Souji glanced to his uncle, who hadn't left his side, trying to say something—anything—but no words came to mind. All he could do was cry and clasp his hand over his mouth when his sharp breaths brought the unease in his stomach back tenfold. Was that all just a hallucination?

“You're gonna be all right, Souji,” he heard his uncle mutter. It sounded distant—hollow—like he wasn't right next to him. He watched as the man placed a hand to his forehead, concerned frown etching on his face. “Shit, you're burning up.”

“Dojima-san, how're we gonna get the body down?” someone asked, Souji staring at the man who was looking up to the telephone pole, hand above his eyes as he squinted to see. “It's really high up there.”

“We'll figure it out. Keep an eye on my nephew for a sec, would you, Adachi? I'm gonna see if I can't find him some water.”

“Oh, uh, sure thing!”

An inhuman sound rose out of Souji's mouth as he watched his uncle leave, his form faded into fuzzy shapes of colour the further he stepped into the fog. His sobs still sent quakes down his form, legs still numb and head still reeling and heavy with pain. Souji found himself leaning back over to where he'd vomited, about to throw up again until he felt himself falling over.

“Whoa, there!” the man—Adachi, his uncle said—called out, grabbing onto his shoulders before he managed to collapse onto the bile-ridden cement. The lanky detective pushed him back to the wall, concern flooded on his features that Souji was having troubles defining.

“Dojima-san, he's not looking too good!” he yelled, continuing to keep a grip on the teen.

Souji watched Dojima stalk over and kneel down next to him. He unscrewed the lid off a water bottle and held it to Souji's lips, who took slow, messy drinks. The water rushed through his system, both in good and bad ways. It mixed in with his nausea, but rid the burning and dryness in his throat and mouth.

“We're gonna need to take his statement.” He heard a third person say. Everyone still sounded so distant, but they were right _there_. It was making him feel worse—as if he wasn't really present.

“Can't you see he's not in any condition right now? We'll get his statement later, right now he needs to go to the hospital.”

He listened as his uncle talked back and forth with the man, watching as the blurred figures of other officers entered the scene and stepped around. He could feel some of them staring, his face burning up to his ears as the tears continued to fall, his heart hammering in embarrassment and fear. Souji watched the colours blend and twist, contorting and combining until it was a mesh and blend he'd never seen before, washing out into a dark blue. Silhouettes were sunken into the blue atmosphere, unintelligible words buzzing in his ears. He squinted, trying to make out the figures, the words that he couldn't hear. He felt them staring intently despite the fact he couldn't make out a thing about them. It was the same feeling, the same intense glares when he was outside of that limousine. What was going on?

His body felt weightless as he tried to move—unlike his own and far off from himself. Souji grit his teeth, wanting to get closer, to listen, but he couldn't move an inch. The hum of the words echoed daintily in the air, scratching at his ears as he tried to hear. They continued, fading in and fading out, jumping to static and distortion, hovering above him and falling underneath. They circled and enclosed, taunting—teasing—he closed his eyes and struggled to collect himself, collect the words just out of his reach.

But all he heard was a perpetual beep combined with pacing footsteps.

Calming himself, the teen opened his eyes, glazed over vision slowly trimming into focus as he stared at a ceiling high above him. His body felt weighted as he shifted slightly—arms and legs heavy like lead as he tried to sit up. It took a quick glance around the room for him to realize he was in a hospital. Souji stared blankly at the stranger pacing near the door, hand to his chin as he mumbled to himself.

“Hello...?” his voice cracked as he talked, the man jumping in surprise before running to the teen's side.

“Hey, you're awake, that's good!” the man bellowed, exuberant smile on his face. It fell quickly at Souji's blank stare, and the man scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Oh, I guess you were pretty out of it when we met. I'm Tohru Adachi, your uncle's partner. He stepped out for a second, but he should be back soon.”

The teen nodded blankly, vaguely recalling the man keeping him from falling to the ground. That seemed so long ago—it didn't even feel real, as if he'd been dreaming. He couldn't even remember the name of his classmate anymore, the girl with the green jacket.

With a slight cough, Souji slowly lowered himself back onto the bed, breathing deep as he looked around lazily. He heard Adachi shuffle awkwardly beside him and he turned to look at the man, giving a short smile.

“Thank you for not letting me fall, Adachi-san,” he whispered, ignoring the hoarseness of his voice.

A light blush crept onto Adachi's cheeks as he shrugged. “Yeah, well, I don't think falling into your own vomit would have made things any better.”

Souji hummed in agreement, lightly flexing his fingers and ignoring the itch that arrived from the IV drip he could feel digging into his skin.

“You thirsty? Hungry? They brought you water, apple juice, and crackers for when you woke up—want any?” Adachi asked, leaning over and rolling a small table closer to him.

All at once, Souji felt how dry his throat was. He mustered himself back into a sitting position, reaching for the apple juice which Adachi handed to him readily. Opening the bottle, he found himself downing the drink in heavy gulps, feeling Adachi stare in wide-eyed astonishment before he had to stop and take a breath, coughing as he held the bottle on his lap.

“You might want to take it a bit easy there, Souji-kun,” Adachi laughed hesitantly, a fragment of a word out of his mouth before it was interrupted by the door opening.

Dojima walked into the room with two mugs in hand, tired smile embellished on his face as he walked towards the bedside. He handed Adachi one of the mugs before sitting down, placing a quick hand on Souji's forehead before bringing it back to his side.

“You're looking much better than yesterday,” Dojima mused, taking a sip of his coffee. “How're you feeling?”

Souji pondered, tapping his fingers against the bottle of juice. “I still feel...” he coughed into his arm as his throat scratched fervently.

“I feel better,” he noted. “But I still don't feel... right, I guess.”

Dojima nodded, “I wouldn't doubt it. You were near delusional when we found you.”

Souji felt his face flush and he looked down to his lap. Adachi laughed at his side and patted his shoulder harshly.

“No need to feel embarrassed, Souji-kun! You were dehydrated and had a pretty bad fever,” the man paused, stitching his eyebrows together. “Not to mention, you _did_ find a dead body.”

“Adachi!” Dojima spat, the younger detective stuttering and flinching in his seat, wincing as coffee spilled onto his hand.

The events came rushing back to him in a fiery haze and he found himself rubbing the back of his head, stopping as he scratched what felt like a bruise. A heavy feeling landed in his chest and he looked to his uncle wearily. Dojima caught his eye and sighed, reaching over and placing his mug on the portable table Adachi still had near.

“We still need your statement,” Dojima addressed, getting out of his seat and searching through the pockets of a nearby jacket hung up on the door. He came back with a pen and notepad, twirling the pen between his fingers before placing the pad onto his lap. “But only if you're up to it.”

Souji took another drink before he nodded sharply. It took a moment's hesitation before he relayed the misted events in his clouded mind, Dojima and Adachi silent as they listened to him struggle to collect his thoughts. He watched his uncle write after he was done retelling what he could, the man placing the pen down once he jotted down the final notes.

“I have to ask you a couple of questions now,” he said after a moment, cracking his neck before he picked up the pen again. “Did you see anybody nearby the scene?”

Souji bit his lip, reexamining the scenario once more. “No.”

“Did you hear anything before you arrived at the crime scene, like somebody calling for help?”

The teen hummed to himself, shutting his eyes in thought before repeating his answer. It went back and forth, Dojima asking a question and Souji recalling the events one more time, only to say the same thing.

“No.”

Dojima nodded, scribbling the final answer down before flipping the notepad closed. Before Souji could say anything, Dojima was grabbing the bottle of juice from his hand and placing it on the table, before lightly pushing him down to lay on the bed.

“Get some rest,” he asserted, cracking his neck again. “The doctors say you can come home later today if your condition improves. I'd hate for you to spend your first week here in the hospital.”

“Oh, that's right, you only just got here the other day, didn't you?” Adachi perked up, eyeing the teen sadly. “Sheesh, what a rough couple of days. Hopefully it's not _too_ bad of a first impression!”

Despite himself, Souji found a smile tracing his lips at the detective trying to cheer him up. Dojima shot the younger man a glare, who apologized briefly, holding his hands up in defense. Dojima looked back down to the teen and gave a tired smile.

“Adachi and I have to head back to the station, but I'll be back to check up on you in a couple of hours. Get some rest.”

Souji nodded silently, watching the two men as they started to leave, Dojima shoving his partner out the door when he asked something about the coffee left behind. His head collapsed onto the pillow, and he let out a long sigh, dragging his hands down his face. He felt his stomach twist in knots.

All he saw when he closed his eyes was that body hanging upside down from the telephone pole.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“You need anything, you call me, all right?”

“Yes, Uncle.” Souji smiled briefly as he turned to his cousin. “But I think I'll be in good hands.”

The girl blushed as Dojima laughed.

“You take good care of him, all right, Nanako?” he grinned, ruffling his daughter's hair who squealed and grabbed his hand angrily in response. “I'll try to be home later tonight, but I can't promise anything. Make sure he gets to bed, okay, Nanako?”

Nanako nodded firmly, hands on her waist triumphantly as she proclaimed, “I'll be a good nurse!”

Dojima laughed again before grabbing his coat off the back of a chair. The three said their goodbyes and Nanako started to drag her cousin by the hand once she heard the front door lock. He followed the girl as she pulled on his arm, leading him to the living room and lightly pushing him to the couch. She frowned when he sat down, and she wordlessly started to push on his shoulder. The teen quickly caught on and he silently pushed himself further onto the couch, patting the pillow before he laid down, watching as his cousin grinned triumphantly. She quickly scrambled to the kitchen, and he could hear her grabbing a glass and filling it with water from the tap. She rushed back to his side and put a coaster on the floor before placing the glass of water on top of it.

“You better drink it when you're thirsty!” she ordered, pointing a finger in his face. “Even when you're not thirsty, you should drink it!”

Souji found himself chuckling, “Thank you, Nanako. I'll be sure to drink it eventually.”

Nanako smiled before jumping back to her feet, suddenly fidgety and unaware of what to do. “Do you... uh... wanna watch TV?” she asked, scooting herself under the table and grabbing the nearby remote.

“Sure. Whatever you wanna watch,” he replied, watching her face light up as she turned and clicked the TV on, flicking through the channels until she landed on a cartoon.

Neither of them talked often, Nanako asking if he needed anything or wanted to watch something else on commercial breaks, but that was the extent of their conversation throughout the night. Souji kept drifting in and out of the cartoons, waking up in a daze every time. Around the third time he found himself waking up, he glanced to the table, tilting his head as he observed his cousin resting her head on it, fast asleep. Smiling to himself, he slid into a sitting position, hand resting against his forehead as the room spun slowly. Waiting for the vertigo to disperse, Souji slowly got to his feet and lightly nudged Nanako's shoulder. The girl mumbled incoherently, raising her head and rubbing her eyes as she glanced at her cousin in confusion.

“You fell asleep,” he explained, lightly grabbing the remote from under her arm and turning off the TV. “C'mon, let's get you to bed.”

“But... 'm your nurse...” she mumbled with a yawn, her movements sluggish as she followed him to her room.

“And you did a good job.” He smiled. “But nurses have to sleep too, you know.”

Nanako mumbled something again that Souji couldn't quite catch as it ended in another yawn. After helping Nanako get ready for bed, he wished her a good night as she crawled into her futon, falling asleep almost instantly. He smiled softly at the scene before turning out the lights and closing the door quietly, yawning himself as he dragged his feet heading back to the living room. Picking up the glass of water off the ground, he finished the drink as he glanced to the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight, and his heart dropped with guilt for making his young cousin stay up so late keeping an eye on him. He'd had to repay her somehow—maybe a shopping trip to that Junes store she liked so much?

Mulling over his options as he placed the glass in the sink, the teen turned when he heard the TV suddenly jolt into static. He observed the screen hesitantly, racking his brain. He'd turned it off, right? Why was it suddenly on? He continued to watch from the kitchen, squinting as faded images hummed onto the screen in between the static grains. He took another look at Nanako's room, a sigh of relief as he didn't hear her stirring around before he crept towards the screen, peering at it. Pressing the power button, he froze as the static resumed, the TV emitting a wiry screech, which rang through his ears and pierced his skull in a blinded fury.

Clutching his ears, Souji fell backwards, landing with a thump as the ringing continued in his head. Through the pain he glanced back to the direction of Nanako's room. He still didn't hear her move about. Good. Heaving as he got back to his feet, he hit the side of the TV with his palm, not expecting much of a result, and getting nothing different for it. He kept looking back from his cousin's room to the TV, and he twitched when he thought he heard a voice off in the distance.

“Nanako?” he called weakly.

There was no response.

Then, he thought he heard a chime, and he found his body turning to the TV as if he weren't in control. He stared at the static-consumed screen and found his hands touching it, only to push through as if he were wading his fingers through water. Before he could wretch his hand back in a blind panic, something grabbed tight onto his wrist and dragged him in before he stopped halfway. He screamed and struggled, gripping onto the corner of the TV with his free hand as he kicked his legs blindly, trying to push himself back into the living room. He couldn't hear anything past his screams as he continued to thrash about, trying to escape the grasp of whatever was holding him. He wasn't going to look. He was dreaming—this was a nightmare.

Souji found himself gagging as a hand clasped over his mouth, the joints burning onto his flesh as it felt like it was melting down his face. The teen tried to pry his head free, only to feel more things clutch onto him. His fingers started to slip from holding onto the side of the TV, and he desperately tried to keep his hold as the entities continued to drag him down. He felt the TV wobble as he mustered all his strength to try and rip himself out of the grasp of whatever was holding him. He thought he felt someone flick his fingers off the edge of the TV. Souji could only scream soundlessly as his shoulder dislocated, his entire upper torso covered in the grabbing, melting hands as they finally dragged him completely through.

He thought he heard something crash before his world was engulfed in darkness.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Souji landed harshly on his back before his legs flipped over and he found himself on his stomach, coughing in shock at the pain he was barely aware of the melted hands flying off of his body at the harsh drop. He gasped and gagged, heaving at the burning sensations marked all over his body, at the pain surging through his spine. He cried as the chime resounded in his head once more, Souji covering his ears as he watched the strange entities before him bubble and fizz as they moved close. When a hand suddenly crashed and burned his wrist, he screamed and ripped his hand back, yelling in even more agony as he further irritated his shoulder.

Scrambling to his feet, he fought away the nausea and erupting pain in his system as he made a mad dash. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he could hear the  _things_  bubbling and gurgling as they made chase, and that kept his legs going, even when they felt like lead and his chest burned. He dug his hand into his pocket for his phone, only to curse when it wasn't there. It must have fallen out.

“SOMEONE HELP ME!” he screamed as he continued his mad sprint, throat raw and sore. He couldn't see anything around him—there was too much fog. But somebody  _had_ to be here. Even in his worst nightmares, he was never alone.

“SOMEBODY! PLEASE!” he cried out, coughing as his lungs struck on fire. He yelped in a panic as he crossed what looked like a bridge, heart pounding furiously as he watched the oozing hands clamber over the sides. He couldn't feel his legs—they were pulsing, but they were gone to his senses. Souji felt himself flying across the bridge and he could hear the mutations pick up speed, their gurgling even more hectic than before.

Dark and light spots danced around his vision, and he was finding it hard to stay upright. He started to keel over, his back and shoulder spreading pain and stabbing torment in every movement that he made, his lungs spiking fire into his stomach. Souji was about to give in, hot tears desperately falling down his face as his body was fighting a losing battle. Souji was about to give in until a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him aside, throwing him to the ground from where he heard an audible slam.

He gasped and heaved on the floor where he lay sprawled out, muttering out words of gratitude to his saviour as he slowly collected himself. The teen turned to look over his shoulder, only to find nobody there. He quickly sat up and pushed himself against a wall as his body shook and the world spun around him. Nobody was there. Beads of sweat trickled down his brow as he glanced to a nearby door, the handle shaking violently, banging on the walls following soon after.  Souji looked around the room quickly, scanning the environment before he realized he knew this place.

He was home.

“MOM!” he called, sliding up the wall in discomfort as his legs wobbled. “DAD!”

There was no answer, other than the doorknob vibrating even worse, the banging more frequent. Souji watched in horror as the windows started to blot out; the bubbling monsters combining and merging as they towered together. He could see tiny fingers clawing at the windows, the glass creaking as small cracks emerged. His breaths came out short and he stood there, eyes darting from the door to the windows as the sounds grew louder, the handle shaking so violently it sounded as though it was going to snap off on the other side.

“MOM!” he cried again, resting his head against the wall as he wailed openly. He wanted to run, to dash upstairs and barricade himself in his room as he hid under his blankets and hoped it would all go away, but he couldn't.

“DAD!” his voice cracked as he fell back to the floor, choking and coughing at how hard he was crying.

He continued to cry, even when his tears stopped. His entire being hurt, back pulsing, shoulder cracking, chest burning, legs trembling, head feeling as if it were going to split open and heart pumping so much he wouldn't be surprised if it exploded. Souji suddenly felt like he was six again, separated from his parents in the mall and losing them in a crowd. He was so lost and confused and felt terribly alone. Even when they found him and went back home, he couldn't stop crying.

The loudest slam resonated along the walls, the house shaking under the extremity. Souji screeched and drew his legs to his chest, hiding his head in his knees, heaving and gasping and choking on his depleting breaths. Muffled voices filtered through the raging headache, and he thought he saw blue past his closed eyelids.

“Worthless.”

The clouded sounds in his head suddenly dispersed at the strong voice that cut through the air like a hot knife. He lifted his head, coughing and sniffling as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He noted the trembling of the house had stopped—the shaking handle quiet, the banging ceased. The monsters on the windows still clung to them, but their fingers had stopped clawing at the glass. Souji looked around for the source of the voice, pausing when he caught sight of someone on the couch. How did they get there?

He didn't move as the figure turned to him, and his breath caught in his throat as he let out a strangled gasp. The person who had talked, who was sitting on the couch, it was... him? The figure hopped off the furniture with a heavy step, stalking towards him with hunched shoulders and a scowl. The teen eyed him up and down, jumbled and raspy noises the only things out of his mouth as he realized he  _was_  looking at himself.

The only difference was his copy having haunting amber eyes.

“Worthless,” his double snarled, staring down at Souji with nothing but hostility and malice. “Always crying for Mommy and Daddy whenever something goes wrong, always crying and hesitating waiting for somebody else to help you through your problems—like when that girl in green interrupted Morooka while you stood there like a gaping jackass.”

The double eyed him, Souji speechless and unable to think as he scoured his brain for some kind of explanation—some kind reasoning—anything! He came up empty; the double scoffing in frustration as if he'd been expecting a response. They kneeled down and Souji tried to curve away, only to be blocked by the wall behind him, the copy too close for comfort as he leaned in.

“What was her name again? The girl in green,” he snorted, not giving Souji a chance to reply before a smirk graced his features. “That's right—I don't remember, and  _why_  don't I remember?”

Souji responded with silence, still trying to wrap his head around what was happening. A nightmare—it had to be, had to be, had to be! He watched as his face fell into a scowl, watched as he grumbled profanities to himself, and squeaked in terror as he was pinned to the wall, the double holding his head up as his arm pushed against his throat.

“Answer me! Why don't I remember?!” he spat, Souji's heart drumming furiously as he stammered and stuttered. He found himself shoved to the floor, screaming in agony as the double dug the heel of his shoe into his shoulder.

“I SAID ANSWER ME!”

Souji wept as the double lifted his foot and slammed it down on his shoulder, an audible  _snap_  resonating in his ears as the pain shot like a bullet through his body. He heaved and gasped, trying to roll when the other suddenly pinned him to the floor, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and shaking him like a rag doll. He continued to holler at him, yelling for him to answer but giving Souji no time or reason to respond, the double hurling fists and slamming his face into the ground repeatedly until he saw nothing but stars.

The copy turned Souji's head to the side, and he could feel his lips hovering close to his ear before the copy screamed, “BECAUSE I'M WORTHLESS!”

“CAN'T EVEN ANSWER A STUPID FUCKING QUESTION!” the double hollered as he lifted himself off of the teen, stomping around the room in a tantrum. “FUCKING LEFT BEHIND AT EVERY TURN! UNABLE TO DO A GODDAMN THING FOR MYSELF! CAN'T STAND UP FOR MYSELF, CAN'T TAKE CARE OF MYSELF—HAVE TO GET A GODDAMN SIX YEAR OLD TO TAKE CARE OF ME, AND WHY IS THAT?!”

Souji watched the double's feet stop in front of him—could feel the amber eyes boring into his head from where he glared down. He gave no response except for his raspy breaths. Silence fell in the one-sided conversation, the door handle starting to shake again, the windows starting to creak as the monsters clawed, the house trembling as the walls were slammed against. The intensity from the monsters outside grew and the tremors escalated—Souji hearing something crash and break from upstairs, shortly followed by the door busting down and the windows shattering from the pressure.

He watched blankly as his double fell to the floor, crying—completely reversed from what he was acting like seconds ago.

Souji didn't move as he felt the creatures latch onto his ankles, crawling up his legs, focusing on his amber-eyed self who continued to sob and wipe away the tears on his sleeves.

“Why don't my parents love me?” it choked out, and Souji's heart fell to the pit of his stomach as he felt himself crying one last time.

“Because I'm worthless,” he whispered, the monsters clambering up his torso and choking the surrounding air around him. They bubbled and burned past his clothes, his flesh crawling and tainted as their aberrant forms dug into and seeped into his pores. He watched blankly as his double's tears stopped, frown turning into a wicked grin.

The monsters stopped dead in their tracks when the double snapped his fingers, cementing over on Souji's body and pinning him to the ground. The double chuckled lightly as he crept upon Souji, leaning over him and tilting his head so he was looking up at him. The double took a deep breath, cupping Souji's face in his hands as he brushed their foreheads together. His wicked grin turned placid, lightning eyes closing as he took another calming breath.

“That's right,” the copy's voice was hauntingly calm—soothing—like a spoken lullaby, completely contrasting the unadulterated rage and grieved questions spoken merely moments before.

Souji whimpered softly as the doppleganger's hands started to move from his face down to his neck, squeezing ever so softly only to put more pressure on as time passed. He had no energy to fight back—no means to fight back—he could only feel the calm breaths of his mirror image bounce off of his tingling skin. He watched the other's amber eyes open, looking at him through a half-lidded stare. They were crystal clear even as his vision spotted over, gasping and gagging uselessly as more pressure was pushed onto his throat, the monsters on his body starting to stir again, his senses a cacophony of fire.

“We're worthless.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

"Dojima-san!" Adachi called out from where he sat on the steps to his house with Nanako, the girl wrapped tightly in his jacket as she shivered from the onslaught of rain.

Dojima sprinted, barely taking the time to catch his breath as he kneeled down in front of Nanako, grabbing the girl in a hug. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Nuh-uh," she mumbled. "But Souji's missing."

He glanced to Adachi, who gave him a worried expression. Letting Nanako go from the hug, he tried to smile reassuringly, but he wasn't sure if he was even smiling at all. "You stay here with Adachi for a bit, okay? I'm gonna check the house before reinforcements arrive to tell me I can't."

Adachi nodded curtly, pulling the young girl close to him as he pulled an elastic band out of his pants pocket. "Hey, Nanako-chan, wanna see a magic trick?"

Dojima heard his daughter coo in awe as he stepped into his house, and eerie silence shifted into the atmosphere. When he asked Adachi earlier to go to the house to check up on the kids, he didn't think he'd get a phone call from the panicked detective exclaiming Souji had been kidnapped. Dammit! Why him?! What did he do to deserve this?! The poor kid just arrived—this wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.

Shaking his head, he stepped inside the doorway, noting immediately that his second pair of shoes at the door were in the wrong place. He barely ever used them—there was no need for them to be moved. Before he could step further into the house and investigate on his own time, he could see the flashing lights of arriving police cars reflect off the hardwood and walls. Cursing under his breath, he turned back and stood on the steps outside, glancing warily at Adachi who looked back apologetically. He crossed his arms in agitation, watching as his superior stepped out of one of the vehicles, sneering at him as he approached.

"Dojima, I hope you didn't—"

"No, sir." He jeered, sighing in aggravation. "I just got here a couple of moments ago myself."

The man nodded curtly before shifting his gaze down to Nanako and Adachi who were sitting on the steps. Nanako looked away, clutching Adachi's jacket closer to herself.

"I've already gotten her statement, sir," Adachi commented, apologizing to the girl as he ruffled through the coat's pockets before handing the man a notebook. Dojima tapped his fingers impatiently on his arms as his superior slowly leafed through the book before landing on the pages Adachi had bookmarked with his pen. The man hummed to himself as he scanned the statement, before he closed the book and lightly tossed it onto Adachi's lap.

"Your writing is like chicken-scratch," he said, before turning around and instructing two officers nearby to go and interview the neighbours if they had any information. "Adachi, the girl said she heard someone run outside before she got out of her room. Did you see anybody fleeing the scene?"

Dojima watched as his teammate squirmed uncomfortably, stammering for being put on the spot. "No, sir. The street was completely empty when I got here," Adachi managed to explain. "I'd just finished the delivery you wanted to get done, and Dojima asked me to check up on Nanako-chan and Souji-kun before I headed back, and that's what I did... Just... Souji-kun wasn't here. I took a quick look around the house, ran up to check the rooms, but he was nowhere. I didn't touch anything. I called Dojima-san and you right after."

The man shrugged, before twirling his hand and motioning the other detectives inside. "C'mon, Dojima. I won't let you touch anything, but you can at least tell us what's all missing and out of place," he huffed, pushing past Dojima as he stalked into the house.

Dojima glared at the rough shove he'd received before his expression softened as he kneeled in front of his daughter again. Nanako yawned, blinking at him tiredly. He returned the look with a twitch of a smile, pulling her again into a quick hug before he stood up.

"Adachi, you mind keeping an eye on her?"

Adachi grinned before turning to the girl and trying to cite her into a conversation, before divulging into a story. Dojima stepped back into his house, scowling at the moved shoes before he headed to the living room where a crowd was formed. He could hear the shutter of cameras, the idle gossip. It felt like he was suffocating as he stood there, observing as the team examined and preserved the crime scene. The TV had fallen off of it's stand, smashed to the ground, glass shards littered on the floor. He noted Souji's cellphone underneath some of the glass.

It wasn't right—something didn't match up. He glanced around the room again, before taking a quick sweep of the rest of the floor. The broken TV was the only sign of a struggle, but in such a small area, more damage should have occurred. The table cracked, pillows kicked away, scratch marks, anything! There wasn't a trace of blood anywhere. Even if the kidnapper had managed to subdue Souji and render him unconscious, it still didn't...

Sighing in helpless frustration, Dojima jumped up the stairs and took a quick look into the rooms. Nothing was out of place; they were never upstairs, the only place of contact was the living room. Scratching his hair furiously in confusion, he stood back at the scene, watching as the others did their work. There wasn't much to do, and they were taking their sweet time—he even heard two of them try to stifle their laughter as they conversed.

"Hey, Yoshida!" he hollered, watching the younger man jump and look at him skittishly. "I got some evidence I need you to bag."

"Yeah, sure, Dojima-san." The officer nodded curtly, grabbing an evidence bag from his rack of supplies before standing in front of Dojima. Without a word, Dojima led him back to the entrance and pointed at the misplaced shoes near the door.

"I barely ever wear those things," he explained, pointing towards the floor where a section wasn't layered with dust. "They should be right there. The culprit must have slipped them on for some reason."

Dojima noticed Yoshida about to say something, a smirk twitching on his lips before it died as he decided against it. He watched as the investigator snapped pictures of the shoes and floor, before grabbing the shoes in gloved hands, sealing them into the bag. The investigation went over quickly—there wasn't much to it. They found recent hand-prints on the the TV, one an open palm on the side like someone had smacked the object, and the other set stumped the crew. It was placed where the screen met the box, fingers acting as if they were curled to hang onto the box's edge. There was no palm placement on the glass shards where they would have connected. There was no feasible way for someone to grab on like that, unless the screen was missing—but, even broken, a giant shard was still intact where the palm should have been. They learned nothing new from the neighbours, they hadn't heard or seen anything. It just didn't make sense—none of this made any sense.

Biting his thumb as he stepped outside, Dojima glanced at Adachi who was browsing his phone idly, Nanako asleep on his arm. The younger detective looked up, light shining in his eyes.

"How'd it go? Find anything good? We got any leads?" he asked, voice hushed as to not disturb Nanako.

Dojima shook his head and scratched the back of his neck, eyes shut in frustration. "No. Nothing makes sense. Other than the broken TV and my moved shoes, everything's too...  _clean_. The doorknob wasn't even tampered with. They got in witho—"

He paused, breath hitching as his blood ran cold. He looked past Adachi, over the man's shoulder at the potted plant nearby. He outstretched his arm as Yoshida was going to walk past, the man stumbling into it and stuttering in confusion. Had the kidnapper known about the spare key? The only other person who knew about it was Nanako, and they hadn't had need for it in years.

"Dojima-san, are you ok—"

"The spare key," he blustered as the others stared at him in confusion. He glanced at the small shovel resting against the pot. The corner was covered in dirt. Shit. "The kidnapper used the spare key. It's buried in that plant pot."

"But if they used it, there would have been dirt in the lock. There didn't seem to be any," Yoshida commented, pushing Dojima's arm down as he squinted at him dubiously.

"Nanako and I haven't used that plastic shovel in months. It's dirty. It's evidence. They used the key," he stated, glaring to the road as a fog started to settle in. The rain had stopped halfway through the investigation, and he regretted the fact that he would probably have to bring Nanako to the station for the night. He shot Yoshida a glare as he didn't move, the man jumping and stepping around Adachi awkwardly as he shot pictures of the plant, bagging the shovel.

"Do you want me to see if the key's still there?"

"Should be buried under the leaf closest to the bottom."

There was a short moment of silence as Yoshida dug through the dirt. It didn't take long until he picked out a key, soundlessly looking at Dojima who scowled back, quietly placing it in it's own bag before he started heading towards his vehicle. Dojima sighed as the team filed out of his home, and he grunted when he felt his superior pat him on the shoulder. His mind reeled as he tried to make sense of the situation. The only person viable for kidnapping Souji would have been the culprit who'd killed Yamano. Perhaps Souji had seen or heard something... no, he was sure is nephew would have reiterated it in his statement.

His eyes snapped open at the crackle of a radio from one of the police cars, his heart stopping at the call for a body found. He glanced down at Adachi in a panic, eyeing Nanako's sleeping form. His stomach knotted as his intuition burned—every part of him was screaming that it was Souji. Dojima lightly kneeled in front of Nanako, shaking her softly and smiling apologetically as she woke up in a daze.

"Nanako, Adachi's going to take you back to the station for the night, okay? He'll get someone there to look after you until we come back, all right? I'm sure he'll try his best to make sure it's Hamasaki. You remember her, right? She made you cookies that one time."

Nanako nodded, rubbing her eyes. "They were good."

"Yeah, they were." He looked to Adachi, who nodded and lightly grabbed Nanako's hand, the three of them rising to their feet as Adachi led her away. Dojima called out, saying he'd be back to the station as soon as possible. With the last officer out of his house and closing the door, Dojima bolted to his car up the road, uncaring if he was robbed blind. Nanako was safe, and all that mattered now was making sure Souji was safe, too. He hoped his gut was wrong.

The drive to the scene was a blur, following the other cars blindly. He wasn't even sure how long the drive was, or where they were even going until they stopped outside of Junes. He squinted as he looked up, the body strung on an antenna. How was the murderer getting them up there? Dojima snarled as he stepped closer, unable to discern the features of the figure past the fog. He glanced over as Yoshida was snapping pictures, and he headed over and stood behind the man as he reviewed them.

His heart fell.

He heard Adachi babble as he ran up to them, breathless and tired. His words fell on deaf ears as Dojima looked intently at the zoomed and semi-focused pictures on Yoshida's camera. He felt Adachi stand next to him, standing on his toes as he peered over Yoshida's other shoulder.

"Dojima-san..."

In the picture was Souji. In the picture was his nephew, the boy who had only been there for three days. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he took a step back, breathing heavily through his nose as his head swam in confusion and despair. He looked back up to the antenna, suddenly able to clearly define his nephew's lifeless body past the fog.

Dojima thought he could feel him staring.


	6. Chapter 6

His world was suddenly clouded in darkness and he couldn't breathe—his chest tightening and his body unresponsive. It felt like he was falling, but he never quite landed. The world around him was gone, and all that was left was silence. It was ear piercing, the quiet. It was louder than any sound he could think of. It was deafening, and he wished he could block it out. He heard a chime. There was a blue butterfly.

Suddenly an intake of air burned into his lungs and his eyes snapped open. Something was covering him and he thrashed around, trying to get it off before he found himself crashing hard to the ground, pain spreading throughout his limbs. The article that had been on him had fallen off and he observed his surroundings quickly. Mutated figures were strewn about, horrendous sounds gurgling from them. They were so soft compared to the quiet.

He was quick to his feet, dashing and weaving past the figures, heart hammering with his headache, body pulsing in agony as tears of fear flashed down his cheeks. He looked over his shoulder for a moment, confusion spreading as the distorted figures stood still. Weren't they chasing him before? Why not now?

Something grabbed onto him and he screamed, ignoring the blood that accumulated from the action, thrashing around and trying to push the monster off. He had to get out, get out, get out. His body rejected his attempts to escape, burning and piling on fatigue and heaviness. His knees fell out from under him and he tilted uselessly to the side, shutting his eyes and crying hysterically to himself. Past his sobs, he could hear nothing but silence; the gurgles had stopped.

He realized the figure holding onto him wasn't burning his flesh with the touch. It felt soft, comforting, distant. Something light brushed onto his cheek. It was air. He opened his eyes again, struggling to even do that as they burned and tried to close. It felt as if dust had been thrown in his face. A blurry figure encompassed his vision—it wasn't one of the monsters from earlier. It was a person.

Hiccuping past his sobs, he looked over his shoulders warily, suddenly aware of the stares all focused onto him. People. There was a bunch of people standing about, all of them fixated on him. He swallowed the lump in the back of his throat, wincing as it burned and scratched and bled. He watched as one of the figures took a hesitant step forward, and then another unsure step moments later, before he was running. The person holding him slowly let go and he quietly rubbed away the tears on his arm, blinking rapidly until his sight was almost in focus. Come what may, the scenario didn't feel threatening. It was covered in confusion, but he felt safe. He wasn't going to run from this.

"Souji...!" his uncle's voice was cracking breathlessly as he skid to the ground, pulling the teen into a giant hug, repeating his name over and over, as if it was the only thing the man could say.

He couldn't reciprocate the hug, only able to meekly place his forehead on the trembling man's shoulder, lip quivering as the hug started to warm him. He didn't realize how cold he was. He didn't realize how fast his heart was beating, how much pain he was actually in. He heard himself whimper a sound so unlike himself he wasn't even sure he'd made it. His stomach was starting to knot and twist, his insides flaring and distorted as he lightly squirmed from Dojima's tight grasp. Dojima let him go slowly, holding the teen at arm's length, his mouth twitching from a smile into a frown and back into a smile as confusion ran along the man's face.

Souji slowly pushed Dojima's hands off of his shoulders. He thought his uncle had looked crestfallen, but couldn't quite tell as he leaned to the side as he heaved, spewing nothing but blood from his ripped and tattered throat to the floor. A hand was placed on his back, rubbing small circles as he continued to cough and retch, someone else placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Well, it would have been comforting had it not been his broken shoulder. He recoiled to the side, breathing heavily as he wrapped his good arm protectively over to hold his injured one, trying to swallow down the next wave of a dry-heave as it rose up in a frenzy.

"S-Sorry!" He looked at Adachi, who's face was filled with regret.

The rest of the encounter flashed by in a haze. Dojima had never left his side, and he heard confused murmurs from the other detectives around, but he couldn't collect what they had said, couldn't remember how he moved his limbs, couldn't feel as his uncle carried him to something to lay on, unaware of his surroundings as his mind wandered and faded. He was scared as his perception of time faded, scared as it felt like he was fleeting, going to fall again and never land. The only thing that kept him there—made him feel like not all was lost—was Dojima's hand grasping tightly onto his. His uncle didn't say much, or, if he did, Souji didn't hear it. His surroundings would blur, sometimes they would fade out and he'd wake up with a start and find himself back in that unknown place, back with those gurgling monsters that burned into his skin.

Then he would hear his uncle shift beside him and he was back. It wasn't for long, he always found himself wavering between reality and that other place, and every time he jolted back with heart racing and sweat dripping down his brow. Souji felt like everything around him was losing ground, going somewhere without him. He didn't want to get left behind, scared of those monsters appearing once he was alone. When he woke up without Dojima at his side, he panicked. He hadn't entered the hallucinations of that world, but once he realized he was by himself, the walls around him started to distort, bending and twisting. He could hear their inhuman sounds, watching in horror as he saw them climb up and blot out the windows, claws scraping along and cracking the glass.

 _Thump_.

They were hitting the surrounding barricades, the room feeling like it was about to close in on itself. He couldn't breathe, his throat closing and his chest tightening as he looked around in fear, head spinning at how fast he looked around. He wasn't even sure where he was, unable to identify his surroundings explicitly through his panic. A door opened and he jumped, watching in horror as  _he_  walked through the door. His double, his mirror—himself with the amber eyes and the crooked grin.

He watched the double calmly stride towards him. Souji was completely frozen in fear, unable to even swallow as his mouth turned dry. The discord outside the walls grew louder, but the thing that resonated clearest was the smooth steps as his double stalked across the tiled floor. His mouth was twisted with that grin as he spoke, but there were no words, only static. The steps grew louder, the room vibrating intensely. The copy slowly climbed on top of him, pushing him down from where he'd been sitting up, hands cupping his face as he brushed their foreheads together. His body was weighted, unresponsive, lost to him as his mirror image continued to talk, only for static to emit from his mouth. He felt the hands fall down his face, fingers delicately tracing his features until they fell to his neck and started to squeeze.

"Souji!"

The room snapped into place, the double disappearing in an instant and air quickly flooded back into his lungs, silent tears streaming down his face as he brought a hand to his throat and lightly rubbed it, swallowing back the pain. Souji sat up again, head light and body heavy as he watched his uncle walk over, noticing his cousin lagging behind him. She caught his eye and leaned out from where she was hiding behind her father, giant eyes filled with innocence and worry.

"Are you okay?" she muttered, clambering onto a nearby chair as Dojima sat in the one next to her.

He could only stare in response, still breathing heavily before he turned to look at the wall in front of him. He could feel the concerned glances of his relatives as they looked at him, and he heard Dojima ask him something, but he found that he couldn't understand the words. He glanced over to the windows. They were clear, he could see a blue sky past a gap in the curtains. There was nothing out to get him, nothing to break the glass, to thump on the walls.  _He_  wasn't here.

A set of footsteps rushed into the room and he didn't resist as a delicate hand rested on his chin and turned his head. He found himself staring at a woman, a nurse, who smiled briefly before she lightly pushed him back down to rest his head on the pillow. He watched as she observed the beeping monitors before replacing the bag on a nearby IV. His hand started to itch in hyper-awareness when he felt the drip taped and digging into his skin, the oxygen mask over his face, his back pulsing numbly, right shoulder and arm wrapped tightly to his body in a sling. It was tight and constrictive, the sling pinning his arm to his torso. He fidgeted in the bed uncomfortably, swallowing at the pain and dryness in his throat, only to wince as it made it worse. Tears welted in his eyes as he turned to look at his uncle and cousin, both staring at him with pity. It just made him feel all the worse.

The remainder of the visit with his relatives was calming. They didn't talk much, and he could sense how uncomfortable and nervous Nanako was, but he was glad she was there. Even when she was busy entertaining herself on Dojima's phone, barely paying attention to the hospital room around her, he was glad she was there.

"Dad, I'm hungry," she said suddenly, looking up from the phone.

Dojima nodded knowingly, taking Nanako by the hand and lifting her from the chair. "We'll get some food and be right back," he spoke softly, Souji uncertain if his uncle could tell how nervous he was at the prospect of being left alone.

Unable to contest, he watched as the duo left the room, the door closing behind them with a quiet  _click_. The room was flooded with heavy tension and anxiety the moment the door had closed, the walls creaking, the windows cracking and blotting out, the thick fog that pierced the air. There was a light knock and it felt like time stopped as he tried to register what it was.

The door opened. He saw the girl in green.


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't something she'd expected to find when she ran through the fog-filled streets, calling for her dog who had panicked and fled from a bird knocking over a trash can. She should have known he would just run straight home—he always did when he got spooked, but she decided to search anyway.

Her breaths were laboured, her face hot and sweat running down her forehead as she stopped to try to remember how to breathe. She'd ended up at Junes, but something had seemed... off. After regaining part of her composure, she had walked closer to the giant antenna line, squinting as she looked up. She stood there in awe, grounded in place as her mouth hung open. A body. She had found a body. She couldn't see any defining features past the murky fog, but there was no doubt that she had found a dead body. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, faster than it had been as she sprinted after her dog. She continued to stare blankly at the silhouette of the body high above her, swallowing in anxiety and so focused on the scene that she ended up not focusing on it at all.

Shivering as the atmosphere seemed to chill around her, the fog nipping at her skin, she hastily wiped away the sweat on her palms before digging into her pocket and grabbing her cell phone. Her breaths came out shaking, her hands trembling as she called the authorities. She stuttered and stammered through her explanation, speaking so quickly that her voice had peaked. The operator had kept her on the line, trying to calm her down until the police arrived. She found herself more panicked when the operator had asked if someone was with her. She was completely and utterly alone, standing under an antenna with a dead body in the middle of the night in the empty parking lot of a supermarket. It was like something out of a horror flick.

Any attempts made by the operator to calm her down ended up futile until she saw the flashing lights past the fog. Her heart was heavy as officers stepped onto the scene, one of them dragging her aside to ask her questions. Another one had appeared with a blanket, draping it over her shoulders as she shivered in the fog. She retold her story, as short as it was, and answered their questions willingly. She jumped, squeaking and turning quickly when she heard a guttural scream, blinking rapidly at a detective who was on his knees, hugging himself as if he were about to hurl. Was that guy related to the victim...?

She didn't have much time to wonder before the officer that had questioned her wrapped her arm around her shoulder and turned her around, the second one telling her not to worry about him. She accepted the offer of a ride home, realizing how queasy she was and shaky her legs were. She watched the Junes store roll by, staring at the body strung up high until it faded from her sight.

Her dog ran circles around her when she got home, her dad flipping through the newspaper on the chair as he waited in the living room. He was about to scold her, before pausing when he saw she was crying, police officer next to her. She didn't sleep well that night, staying in the living room watching comedy movies with her father as the time passed. She passed out eventually, but when, she wasn't sure. Her parents offered to let her stay home from school to recuperate, but she declined, hoping the classes would distract her.

"Chie, are you okay?" she blinked tiredly, jolting up as Yukiko turned to her. Students still flooded into the classroom—she hadn't missed anything yet. Good.

"Yeah, you like kinda dead. Did something happen?" Yosuke chimed in, leaning across the desk of the new transfer student. Souji Narukami, she thought she remembered him say his name was. He hadn't been at school for a couple of days...

It suddenly clicked, her stomach hurling into her throat as she dashed out of the classroom. Yukiko called after her, and Chie could hear her friend trying to catch up as she bolted to the bathrooms, heaving into the closest toilet. Yukiko appeared moments later, rubbing small circles on her back as Chie continued to vomit, tears and snot falling over her face as she cried from the realization and vile pain. Yukiko silently flushed the toilet and helped Chie stand, leading her to the sink to help her wash her face.

"What's wrong, Chie?" she inquired, voice hushed as she handed the girl paper towel. "Do you need to go to the nurse?"

Chie shook her head, splashing her face with cold water and wiping it off. "No. No, I'm okay, I just... I... I found a body last night," she admitted, and Yukiko gasped in horror.

"Are you all right?!"

"No! I can't get it out of my head, and I just... you remember that new transfer student? Souji Narukami?" She bit her lip and fidgeted with her hands in her pockets, watching as Yukiko's brow stitched together in thought.

"You mean the guy that went home sick his first day here?"

Chie nodded, voice falling to a whisper, "I think... I think he was the person I found last night. I couldn't see them clearly, but... he hasn't been to school since that day. It only makes sense, right?"

"But that doesn't make any sense," Yukiko mused. "He just got here. Why would anybody want to kill him?"

"I don't know!" Chie squeaked, rubbing her arm as she looked to the side. "But... I can't shake the feeling that it  _was_  him, and I feel terrible, like maybe I could have somehow stopped it from happening. I know I couldn't have, I didn't even know him, but... I just... It's not fair. I wanted to  _get_  to know him!"

Yukiko nodded in empathy, before her eyes widened in sudden thought. "What if he's still just out sick? He did look to be in pretty rough shape when he left."

"Maybe, but..." she wanted to contest Yukiko's argument. It made sense, but her gut was telling her that Souji had been the one she found. She absentmindedly chewed on her bottom lip, mulling over her answers and questions before letting out a sigh. "...I guess."

Yukiko smiled dimly, grabbing Chie's hand lightly as she lead her out of the bathroom. The girls turned as Yosuke ran up to them, concern plastered all over his features.

"What was that all about? You okay, Chie?" he questioned, eyeing her quizzically.

"I'm fine. I don't wanna talk about it," she mumbled disdainfully. "I'll give you a hint though: it has to do with Junes."

Yosuke tilted his head. "Junes?" Realization suddenly flooded over his features, his face paling. "Oh..."

The trio stood in an awkward moment, shuffling and fidgeting as their schoolmates walked past without a care. Chie lightly hopped on the spot, head lowered but gaze focused on Yosuke as a sudden question popped into her head. He caught her eye.

"What is it?"

Chie stopped her hopping, glancing around at the students that passed by before leaning in and whispering, "Were you told who the victim was?"

A brief flicker of anger spread over his features, only to get interrupted by the intercom, instructing everybody to head to the gym for an assembly. The trio glanced at each other in confusion, Chie catching Yukiko's eye for a long while as a lump formed in the back of her throat, nervousness and anxiety pumping through her veins as they slowly made their way to the gym. This hadn't been scheduled—it was an impromptu assembly. Those were never good.

Chie found herself grabbing onto Yukiko's arm for support as they filed into the gym, the student body murmuring and whispering all around as they tried to understand why they were there. The principal coughed into the mic at the stand in front of him, the room quickly sweeping into silence. The man quickly started into his speech, welcoming them all and thanking them for arriving so promptly. Chie's heart sank to the pit of her stomach as he immediately went to the point, saying that someone from their school had been found recently in a crime. He was a recent transfer student in Class 2-2, Souji Narukami.

Her grip on Yukiko's arm was vise-like, her knees wobbling and she could feel tears streaming down her face. She was right, she  _had_  found him last night. She wished she hadn't been right.

"But what would have been a murder ended up not being so. Miraculously, Souji Narukami was revived."

Her grip loosened on her friend's arm lightly, eyes widening in surprise. He wasn't dead? He was... okay?! A smile grew on her face and she buried her head into Yukiko's shoulder, who almost fell backwards at the sudden action. Chie wasn't listening to the principal's speech anymore, something about bullying and blah blah blah. The transfer student was okay! She found herself overwhelmed with happiness and relief, not entirely sure why she was so worked up over a stranger, but found herself not caring as the joyous feelings consumed her.

The rest of the speech went in one ear and right out the other, Chie skipping merrily down the hall as they returned to their class. She stopped suddenly as an idea sprung in her head, turning around so quickly that Yosuke and Yukiko had no time to react, the trio crashing into each other and falling to the ground in a heap.

"Chie, what the hell!?" Yosuke hollered as they struggled on the floor, students snickering as they walked past.

"I had an idea!" she yelled back as they finally split apart. Dusting herself off she coughed into her hand before triumphantly placing her hands on her waist. "We should go visit Narukami-kun after school!"

Yosuke dug his pinkie into his ear, sneering as he took it out. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over that dumbass idea!" He yelled, and Chie flinched back in surprise, face heating up in anger. "Look, I know you were worried about the guy, but he probably doesn't want three strangers just jumping into his room like, 'Heeey, you're that new kid from our class. Sorry you almost died, we got you some flowers'! He'd probably have a heart attack!"

Chie bit her cheek, stamping forward, ignoring the students that watched them squabble. "How do you know?! Maybe he'd like the company!"

"He doesn't even know us enough to  _be_  company!" Yosuke scoffed, rolling his eyes as he finished storming up the steps. "You can go if you want, but I have enough shit to deal with now that Junes has been closed for investigation."

"Fine then, I will!" she jeered, sticking her tongue out at him before turning to Yukiko, eyes bright with hope. "You'll come with me to visit him, right, Yukiko?"

Her friend's face fell, looking downcast as she apologized, "I'm sorry, Chie. I have to go straight to the inn after school today."

"Oh, right..." she laughed hesitantly, forcing a smile. "No worries, Yukiko!"

"If you do go, please tell Narukami-kun that I hope he makes a speedy recovery."

Chie nodded in affirmation, the two finally making their way back to class. She huffed as Yosuke glared at her when she walked into the door, trying her best to ignore him as she sat down at her desk. She couldn't help but glance curiously at the empty desk beside her, smile forming on her lips at the sight of origami cranes sitting on top of it.


	8. Chapter 8

Dojima couldn't believe what he was seeing. They had confirmed there was no pulse, and they had said rigor mortis was going to set in soon. He couldn't move from his spot, mouth agape as he watched his nephew run along the sidewalk, twisting and turning to avoid the officers. Souji was only stopped when he glanced over his shoulder, running directly into Adachi's direction. Adachi had grabbed onto him, and Dojima could tell he was trying his best to be gentle but firm as the teen squirmed in his arms. Souji screamed—it was cracking and pained, filled with anguish.

Dojima's heart pounded so hard in his chest that he could hear it in his skull.

Souji was alive.

He couldn't believe it.

It wasn't over yet; the teen was fighting for his life the entire rush to the hospital. He slipped away and returned more times than Dojima could keep track of. He was sure he was going to check out soon if Souji unwillingly continued his brushes with death. It was always just for a second that monotone beep would sound before it spiked as Souji lurched awake, pupils dilated and gasping for air.

All Dojima could do was hold onto his hand, the paramedics muttering to themselves in confusion as they couldn't figure out what was wrong. Eventually, he stabilized, falling asleep instead of falling away. Dojima still didn't let go of Souji's hand until he was carted into surgery. His right clavicle had been broken in three places, metal plates and pins needed to align them and hold them in place. Dojima was worried he'd been bleeding internally when the teen had started coughing up blood, but the doctor's reassured him it was just his throat tattering from too much use, and that would recover fast as long as Souji didn't talk for a couple of days. His immune system had weakened considerably, and there was something in his system that they couldn't quite identify. They assured Dojima that they would keep running tests if it didn't fade from his system naturally. They also noted there had been signs of strangulation, and his back had been bruised from a fall.

They informed him there would be a two hour wait before he was allowed any visitors, so Dojima ended up driving back to the police station. With Souji safe, his mind went back to reeling about the strange events of the case. The initial murder, the kidnapping, and Souji's brush with death. With Yamano, there wasn't a trace of injuries on her body, her cause of death unknown. Were they even related? Was this some kind of copy-cat murder already? There _were_ differences between the cases, after all. Yamano's entire case was shrouded in mystery—her disappearance, her body appearing, everything was formed in the fact they had nothing to go on. There were no leads, nothing on her body to indicate a struggle, and no stray hairs or skin particles from the culprit was ever found, and the only one with a motive had an air-tight alibi. Souji, on the other hand, had evidence. His kidnapping was still baffling, the show of a struggle affecting too small of an area to his liking, the bizarre hand placement on the TV screen especially disconcerting, but he also had physical wounds.

The main thing was, he was alive.

They had a chance. Souji might know who did this. Copy-cat killer or not, somebody was responsible, and he wasn't going to rest until he found out who.

“Dojima-san, what are you doing working?” he looked up from the papers as Adachi stood over him. “C'mon, Nanako's been wanting to see you for quite awhile now.”

He felt the blood drain from his face and he dropped the papers back into the folder. He dragged his hands down his face before he scooted out of his chair, tiredly rounding the desk without a word as Adachi fell into step beside him. The best they could do to accommodate a room for Nanako was an interrogation cell, but she'd been in good hands with Hamasaki, the woman doing everything she could to keep Nanako entertained and feeling as home as possible.

Dojima opened the door, eyeing as the girls sat on the edge of the bed, completely absorbed in the cartoon on the TV screen. Huh, he didn't realize those programs ran so late into the night. When the door shut behind him and Adachi, Nanako turned, beaming with joy as she hopped off the bed and hugged her father's waist tightly.

“You were gone for so long!” she whined, pouting at Adachi. “And Adachi wouldn't tell me anything! Hamasaki kept me company, though! She told me a lot of funny stories and we drew a lot of pictures and watched a lot of shows!”

Dojima laughed, patting Nanako's head as he dragged her back to the bed, sitting on it as far back as he could as she climbed onto his lap, resting her head on his chest as her focus went back to the TV. He turned to the woman who smiled at them, and a ping of guilt shot through his system. She looked exhausted.

“Thank you for keeping an eye on her, Hamasaki,” he sighed, ruffling Nanako's hair. “I hope she wasn't too much trouble.”

“Hey!”

Hamasaki laughed, “Don't worry, Nanako-chan. You were nothing but an angel.”

The girl stuck her tongue out playfully at her father, who chuckled in response. He hadn't seen Nanako filled with so much energy in a long time. He hadn't expected her to be considering her tired mood from hours ago, and he knew her happy mood wasn't going to last much longer. Nanako had questions, and he would have to give her answers.

“Hamasaki, Adachi and I can handle it from here. Feel free to head home and rest,” he suggested.

She stared at him for a moment, and he was going to reinforce the suggestion, until a smile fell on her lips. “I think I'll do just that. Hey, Nanako-chan, how would you like to bake cookies with me sometime? I'll tell you my secret recipe!”

Nanako lit up. “Really?! That would be fun!”

Hamasaki laughed, lightly tapping Nanako on the nose before she sat up and stretched. “It's a cookie date, then.” She smiled, giving a wave and a goodbye as she headed through the door, the TV echoing loudly in the room in the short silence that followed.

“Wow, Nanako-chan, you get to bake cookies with Hamasaki-san!” Adachi gasped at the side, a slight frown on his face. “I wish I got to. You're so lucky!”

Nanako giggled before diverting her attention back to the TV. Adachi pulled up a chair from the table and flipped it around, resting his arms on the back and his chin on his sleeves. The trio fell quiet, the only thing moving were the animations on the screen. Dojima wasn't really paying attention, still wheeling the case around in his head. Perhaps Yamano just hadn't fought back when she was murdered. Maybe she didn't have time to fight back. Perhaps Souji had traces because he had managed to react? Maybe the assailant had panicked later on, causing him to break the teen. He racked his mind for answers he didn't know, cursing as more questions popped up the more he thought about it.

“...Dad?” His breath hitched. There it was, the tired voice, the crestfallen expression as she clung to his shirt. “What happened? Is he okay?”

He briefly glanced at Adachi, who shrugged tiredly from his seat and turned his gaze back to the TV as the credits rolled, tapping his fingers absentmindedly to the song. Dojima looked back down at Nanako, her big, innocent eyes boring into his very being. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before he looked back at her.

“Souji was hurt,” he explained simply. “Someone hurt him real bad, and we almost lost him today.”

Nanako fidgeted with his tie, squirming uncomfortably. “Why would someone hurt him?”

Dojima sighed and hugged her head to his chest, resting his chin on top of her hair. “I don't know, Nanako. People... sometimes they don't think when they act, and they can do unspeakable things. We'll find who did this to him, don't worry. We'll change the locks on the door, too. No more bad people will get inside.”

Nanako nodded dimly in response.

“Would you like to see him tomorrow?”

The girl paused, hands pausing on the tie. She was silent for a long while, and Dojima looked back at Adachi, who was watching with concerned curiosity on his face. The younger detective slowly shifted himself in the chair, arms resting between his legs as they sat over the side, tilting his head as he looked at the young girl.

“C'mon, Nanako-chan, what's the matter?” he asked. “I bet Souji-kun would love it if you visited him! I know I would cheer right up if you came to visit me in the hospital!”

Dojima could feel the girl's form tremble, her voice quivering as she spoke, “...But I didn't help him... What if he hates me?”

The detectives shared another glance, Dojima at a loss for words as he felt his heart break. Nanako thought she was responsible for his kidnapping. Shit. Wrapping both of his arms around Nanako protectively, he hugged her tight, the girl sniffling as she tried to hold back her sobs.

“Souji doesn't hate you,” he reassured. “He could never hate you. Like Adachi said, I'm sure he'd be glad to have you visit.”

Nanako hiccuped, mulling over her answer. The men waited in silence, Adachi shifting himself again to rest his arms on the back of the chair, watching the TV with subdued interest. Dojima could hear the clock on the wall ticking loudly, completely uninterested in the show. He looked at it from the corner of his eye, scowling at the time. It was almost three in the morning.

“It's pretty late, Nanako. You wanna try going to sleep?”

The girl nodded tiredly, Dojima letting her go as she crawled to the pillows on the bed. Dojima stretched as he got up, wincing as his back cracked painfully. After turning the TV off, Adachi wished the two a good night before he left the room. It didn't take long for the small family to fall asleep, exhaustion overwhelming their bodies once Dojima turned the lights off.


	9. Chapter 9

"Um... h-hi there!" Souji tilted his head as the girl stood at the door, fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket hesitantly. "I-Is it okay if I come in?"

He slowly sat up and nodded dimly, the girl taking a deep breath as she stepped into the room, lightly closing the door behind her. Her steps were small and heavy, eyes darting around in anxiousness. She stood at the side of his bed, chewing her lip.

He was about to open his mouth to speak, before frowning at himself for forgetting his voice was shot. He reached over and tapped her arm lightly, the girl jumping. He gave her an apologetic look before gesturing to a nearby chair, smile on his face. He watched as she situated herself on the seat, body tense as she clasped her hands on her knees.

"S-So, um... I-I don't know if you remember me, but I sit next to you in homeroom. My name's Chie Satonaka," she stammered, and he nodded, rubbing the side of his head as the memories of that day flooded back in an instant. They still felt far-off, like they were distant dreams, but he could remember her initial introduction, and her friend in red... Yukiko. That was it.

He watched Chie patiently, smile never leaving his face despite the fact she was fidgeting in nervousness, obviously uncertain on what to say. He wished he could express how thankful he was for her to visit. Such a simple action went a long way—he was entirely grateful for this.

"I um... I don't know if you know but... I was the one who uh... found you." She faltered on the word 'found', shoulders tensing even more than they already were. "Ah, jeez, I'm so sorry. I thought this was a good idea, but I don't even know what to say!"

He shook his head lightly, smile widening. A short blush encompassed her cheeks and she eyed the room, avoiding his gaze.

"W-Well, I'm glad you're okay! I was totally freaked when I uh... n-nevermind!" she laughed hesitantly, scratching the back of her neck. "We had an assembly t-today and uh... they said you were okay. I was so relieved! I mean, you just got here! I feel terrible you've had to go through so much... I tried to get my friend Yukiko, and another classmate, Yosuke, to come along, but they were both busy. Oh! Yukiko told me to tell you that she hopes you get well soon! And, and the class ended up making a bunch of origami cranes and put them on your desk! But, man, King Moron is just the worst! When he came back to the room he started lecturing us saying that you got hurt because you were a lech or something. Man, I hate that guy!"

Souji watched as she continued to ramble on, noticing her posture relax, and her actions become less stiff as she exaggerated movements and words with her arms and hands. Both of them jumped when she accidentally kicked the bottom of his bed, the two staring at each other in wide-eyed panic before the girl bust into a fit of giggles, apologizing madly as he grinned. He struggled with a hand gesture to ask if she was alright, and she stared in confusion before laughing it off, saying she was fine. Chie continued to talk, eyes covered in delight as she heartily retold the events of an action movie she recently watched.

"And then one of the mooks went FLYING and—o-oh, I-I'm not boring you, am I?" she asked suddenly, face glowing red with embarrassment. "I-I mean, I just started going off! I don't even know if you like action movies! I'm so sorry."

Before he could muster a response, the door opened. Dojima paused briefly before striding in, Nanako clutching onto the back of his shirt like before. Chie stood to attention suddenly, bowing quickly.

"H-Hello, s-sir!" she stammered. "I-I'm Narukami-kun's classmate, Chie Satonaka. A-Are you his dad?"

Dojima laughed, "Uncle, actually." He faltered, squinting at the girl who tensed. "...You were the girl who found him."

"Y-Yeah... It was pretty scary."

"I bet it was." He nodded in agreement, before sighing heavily. "I hate to be rude, but would you mind stepping out for a bit? I have to tell him something."

Chie jumped, before glancing at the clock and waving her hands defensively. "No, no, that's okay! I didn't realize how late it was. Hey, if it's okay with you, Narukami-kun, I'll visit again sometime soon!"

Souji nodded, the girl grinning as she bowed, stepping out of the room. Once the door closed with a quiet click, Dojima ran his fingers through his short hair, crossing a leg over the other as he pulled up a chair. Nanako quickly scrambled onto the one beside him, kicking her feet lightly as she looked to the floor.

"I phoned your mom," Dojima stated bluntly after a moment of silence. Souji could only stare, his uncle's expression mixed with malice and guilt. "...She says she can't make it. ...I'm sorry."

Souji's breath caught in his throat, eyes burning as he felt them tear up. He sighed, glancing to the wall in front of him, biting his lip as he felt it start to tremble. He rubbed the heel of his palm to his eye as he struggled not to cry, unable to stop his quivering lip and trembling body. Dojima sighed again, lightly leaning over the bed and pulling him into a soft hug. He could feel Nanako staring at him as he buried his face into his uncle's shoulder. He struggled to hold back his tears, tried so hard not to cry, only to find himself weeping openly for minutes on end.

His heart fell as his uncle apologized over and over, like it was his fault. He wanted to scream, to tell his uncle to stop apologizing. This wasn't his fault, why would it be? It was Souji's fault... He couldn't do anything right. His parents wouldn't want to see him like this—stuck in a hospital room with tubes and wires and bandages. They wouldn't want to see him for the failure he was. They wouldn't want to see a living ghoul—he'd passed away, right? Declared dead at the scene? He didn't know how or why he was brought back, and part of him wished he hadn't.

It scared him to think like that.

The rest of the visit was strained. Nanako refused to speak, and Dojima kept getting rapid texts from Adachi. They were only there for half an hour before Dojima decided it best for them to leave. He stared lazily at the ceiling, blinking slowly as he listened to his breathing and the heart monitor. There was nothing for him to do. There was nothing that he could do. He was nothing.

The ceiling started to bend, the air slowly filled with a foggy haze. He could hear the windows creaking, the walls thumping, the smooth steps. He was there, crawling over him. Static fell out of his mouth, piercing his ears. Amber eyes were filled with delight, hands cupping his face, fingernails dragging into his skin. He wanted to ask why, to ask for answers. He raised his hand up, grasping the mirror image's wrist before the double could start to strangle him.

He felt something fall onto his face. The double was crying. He leaned down and brushed their foreheads together.

"Why don't my parents love me?"

The words echoed in his mind, static embedded into the sentence. He closed his eyes, sobbing violently again, the double's hands shaking from where they were holding onto his cheeks.

He was worthless.

He opened his eyes in confusion. The room was back to normal, the monsters gone from the windows, the thumping ceased, his mirror image missing. Normally, they would stay until someone else entered. He looked around warily, coughing in pain as he wiped away the tears.

He was alone.


	10. Chapter 10

“Something weird was happening to the TV so... I went over and smacked it. It didn't do anything to help,” Souji explained, voice hoarse and raspy. He bit his lip and looked to the side. It'd been weeks since the event, and he was having troubles remembering what had happened. He remembered his flesh burning from strange creatures, that... copy of him with the haunting eyes, but... How he got to them in the first place, he couldn't remember.

“Take your time, Souji-kun, it's okay,” Adachi hummed at his side, lightly patting his shoulder.

He closed his eyes and continued to chew on his lip, straining to recall the events. They blurred by in a haze—the only thing he could clearly remember was hitting the TV. He didn't remember hearing anybody walk in, didn't remember the start of the monsters and his double, he didn't remember a thing. He scratched his head in frustration, growling to himself as nothing came to mind.

“I can't remember anything past that...” he finally admitted, ashamed of himself and his faded memories. “I'm sorry...”

“Don't be sorry, Souji,” his uncle sighed, patting his head. “It was a traumatizing experience, and you're doing great. Just don't push yourself trying to remember.”

“Yeah...”

“Hey, Dojima-san, you think it'd be okay if we took him for a walk around the hospital? I bet Souji-kun's bored to death of this room, right?” Adachi smiled, hopping to his feet.

Dojima crossed his arms, brow stitched in concern. “I don't know... You were still pretty weak just getting to the bathroom,” he mumbled, eyeing the teen warily. “It's up to you though. I'll get you a wheelchair if you want to take a stroll around.”

“But that defeats the whole purpose of a 'stroll', Dojima-san!” Adachi whined. “I thought it'd be good for him to stretch his legs a bit, not just sit in a chair while we roll him around!”

“Like I just said, Adachi, he could barely stand to get to the bathroom. I had to pretty much carry him there. If he wa—”

“Thank you, Adachi-san,” Souji chuckled, waving his hand as he interrupted his uncle. “I'd love to go for a walk myself, but I think I'll take the wheelchair for now.”

The detectives lightly bickered as they left the room to find a wheelchair to borrow, Souji laughing as they did so. He smiled after them as the door closed, letting out a short sigh as he pushed his head back into his pillow, scrunching his face as he stretched awkwardly. It had been almost a month since the incident, but his strength was still fleeting, his injuries healing slower than the doctors had anticipated. Chie had visited again multiple times, one time even managing to bring Yukiko, and another time the kid who'd sat behind him in homeroom, Yosuke. Souji could see that Yosuke hadn't been to thrilled to be there, the brunette agitated and jumpy. He could tell Yosuke was trying to be nice, but it was obvious there was something else on his mind the entire visit. It didn't bother him too much, he was just glad to have visitors.

Nanako had started to warm up to him on her odd visits, sharing tales about her days at school and talking about the latest episodes of Featherman and Detective Loveline. She didn't hide behind her father anymore when she walked into the room, her little feet tapping quickly as she jumped into the chair, ready to show him drawings that she did in art that day. He was always glad when she visited.

He glanced to his phone at his bedside, flipping it open hesitantly as he grabbed it. No new messages. He'd received one text from his parents when he was allowed his phone. He never received a reply when he messaged them back. His fingers drummed on the keys, chewing his cheek as he questioned about sending them another message, asking them how they were and how work was going. He glanced up as Dojima and Adachi walked in, squabbling about something Souji didn't quite understand as his uncle wheeled the chair over. He tilted his head curiously at the conversation, brow furrowed and questioning grin on his face as he looked at his uncle, lightly pushing himself to throw his legs over the edge of the bed.

Dojima caught his eye and shook his head. “It's nothing—work stuff—don't worry about it. Here, gimme your hand.”

Souji grasped his uncle's hand and slid off the bed, legs wobbling as his feet touched the cold, tiled floor. Dojima leaned over him, grabbing the IV drip stand and moved it alongside the teen, making sure it didn't get tangled as Souji sat in the wheelchair. His surroundings spun for a moment, and he found himself gripping onto the armrest rightly.

“You okay?” Adachi questioned.

“Yeah, yeah...” He breathed slowly, blinking until it felt his mind was focused again. “Just moved a little too fast... I'm okay.”

He could feel Adachi glancing at Dojima behind him for a moment before Dojima uttered a 'let's go', and started to move the chair. Souji had no reason to leave his room much, so even just being in the hallway was a breath of fresh air. He waved to one of the nurses who had been catering him this entire time, the woman waving back before returning to her conversation with a doctor nearby. He could hear birds chirping idly outside. In his room, they were distant and barely audible. It was like music to hear them so clearly.

They greeted the doctors and nurses as they strolled past, Souji enjoying the sights of his surroundings as he listened lightly to Dojima's and Adachi's idle conversation. Giant windows covered the center wall, allowing the guests to look outside to a garden, flowers and trees well-kept. He peered over lightly, watching as he saw patients, visitors and nurses walking through the garden or sitting on benches. A smile widened on his face as he glanced over his shoulder to his uncle, who smiled back knowingly.

“You got it,” he laughed.

“Got what? What's going on?” Adachi chimed in, clueless. “Don't tell me I missed something important!”

Souji snickered, “You just don't have the family-mind reading ability yet, Adachi-san. Give it at least seven years.”

Adachi pouted as Dojima laughed even harder, which caused Souji to laugh even harder too. His throat tickled at the action, but he was grateful it wasn't burning and bleeding like weeks ago. After their laughter had quieted down, Souji continued to watch the garden below as Dojima lead them through the halls, muttering under his breath that he _swear_ he saw the elevator this way. Souji didn't get to look out the windows for long as they rounded a corner, the cafeteria below now in his line of sight. He lifted himself slightly, trying to watch the array of people on the floor below, only to turn in confusion when Dojima suddenly stopped. He stared at his uncle, who was paying him no mind, glowering ahead. Adachi had stepped a few paces in front before turning on his heel, questioning the hold up.

Souji turned back in the chair, freezing at the sight before him. Talking to a receptionist at the end of the hall were two adults, covered head to toe in expensive clothing out of place in the small, rural town. He felt his mind empty, watching in a haze as the duo started to head in their direction, pausing after a couple of steps before resuming their calm strides. The woman adjusted her glasses, heels clicking with power as she traipsed towards them, the man following close behind, hands shoved deep into his coat pockets.

His parents were here.

What should have filled him with joy sent panic and fear shooting through his system. His breaths came out rapid as the world around him froze, the scenery melting before his eyes as a fog enveloped. No! No no no! This hadn't happened in almost a month! Not again—not again!! The walls shook in heavy tremors, he could hear the glass windows behind him creaking and cracking, he could hear the smooth strides of his amber-eyed double.

It suddenly snapped back in hot flashes—after he'd smacked the TV he saw something—his hand went through the screen—he was grabbed and he screamed as he tried to escape—he fell in—they were chasing him—the things—those monsters—his lungs hurt—everything hurt—everything—

His stomach jumped to his throat as he heard the glass shatter behind them—heard the intense bubbling of the monsters as they neared. They drowned out the footsteps—they were gone— _he_ was gone. He watched in horror, the monsters started to crawl up the stairs, the gurgling noise filling his ears, the walls distorting, the ground splitting. He screamed when a hand snaked around his wrist and he ripped it away, scrambling as he pushed himself out of the chair. He fell to the floor almost immediately, his legs wobbling and shaking under the sudden pressure, the IV tearing out of his skin. He found himself hurling at the sudden shock, finding it hard to remember how to breathe.

Sets of hands burned onto his back and shoulder and he found himself screaming again, thrashing around and throwing them off as his feet slid while he tried to gain traction. He managed to start a running crawl, somehow lifting himself completely as he sprinted away, panicked and pained tears blurring his vision as his legs rejected the movement. He almost fell again and again, but he kept himself standing. The banging on the walls grew fiercer, the gurgling of the monsters more rapid. They were following him. They were gaining on him.

He skid around a corner, slamming his still broken shoulder into the wall harshly, silent scream echoing through his system as he felt the bone shift awkwardly, pain surging intensely. Souji stood in shock, slowly forcing himself out of it as he pushed off the wall with his good arm, entire body trembling as he resumed his run. He slid to a stop as the monsters pooled around the corner in front of him, heart pounding rapidly as he looked over his shoulder, watching as they flooded in behind him. A sound unfitting to the scenario rang at his side, and he watched two doors slide open, few of the monsters trickling out. Without a thought, he bolted towards them, pushing them out and, realizing quickly it was an elevator, rapidly pressed the buttons to close the doors again. He jumped and screamed when the grotesque things started digging their hands into the door as it almost closed, and he yelled as he tried to pry their fingers off.

The doors suddenly slammed closed and he toppled over, sobbing hysterically while the elevator carried him away.


	11. Chapter 11

“Dojima-san!!”

The man snapped into action at Adachi's distressed calls, abandoning the wheelchair as he sprinted after his nephew down the hall. He looked incredulously as his sister strode by him, kicking off her heels mid-step as she dashed past. Adachi was in step beside him, and he could hear the man mutter in surprise as the woman sped down the hallway after her son. He saw Souji look back at them, before he skidded into the nearby elevator that opened up. The teen shoved his way through a woman and her children getting off, throwing one of the kids to the ground, the mother screaming profanities.

Dojima quickly ran to his sister's side, Adachi trying to calm the screaming woman and her crying child beside them. The doors had started to close, but his sister had pried her hands in, trying to force it open. Souji was hollering and sobbing, his eyes disoriented, face as pale as when he had come back to life. Souji ripped her fingers off the doors and they slammed shut, his sister seething as her fake nail ripped off, blood pouring down her finger. They bolted back down the hall as distressed cries rang out from the floor below. Descending the stairs, Dojima caught sight of Souji fleeing the hospital, the teen clutching his head in agony.

They chased after him, only to falter and pause once outside the doors. He was gone, nowhere to be seen. Adachi and his brother-in-law were soon outside, the latter resting his hands on his knees, coughing haphazardly while he struggled to catch his breath.

“Shiori, I...” he started, eyeing his sister, croaks and unintelligible noises filtering out of the back of his throat, struggling to find the words he wanted to say.

Shiori sighed deeply, sucking on her bloodied finger as she stared down the near-desolate street before them. “I knew this was a bad idea,” she grumbled under her breath, Dojima's expression of solace quickly turning into anger.

His hands clenched at his sides, fury encompassing his body and mind as he watched his sibling nonchalantly walk to her husband, the man handing her her high heels she had kicked off in the chase. Gritting his teeth, he turned back to look at the streets, trying to see any semblance of his nephew. There was nothing.

“Adachi and I will head up the road and search for him there. You two search around the hospital,” he instructed, digging a box of cigarettes out of his pocket.

He didn't give Shiori a chance to reply before he stalked off to the other side of the road, Adachi trailing behind. Traffic was light, most people at work. He lit up a cigarette, shaking his hand when the flames lightly burned his thumb when he wasn't paying attention. The duo looked down the crevices between buildings, calling for the teen as they went along. Minutes passed , and they didn't hear a sound from anything other than their footsteps.

“Dojima-san, I think I see something over there.” He stopped at Adachi's observation, following where the man's arm was pointing across the road. There was a toppled trash can in the alleyway—it was as good a lead as any. Quickly making sure no cars spontaneously dashed down the road, the two ran across the street into the alley, Dojima immediately noticing small blood drops on the ground leading into it and back out onto the sidewalk. The teen _had_ ripped the needle out of his hand, he figured that was where the blood was from. A shudder rippled through his skin as he remembered the sight.

They walked slowly down the alley, stepping over the trash can and glancing at each other as they registered the sound of something scuffling beyond the corner. Peering curiously around it, Dojima quickly dropped his cigarette and stamped it out, blowing the smoke out of his mouth as he quickly ran to Souji, who was collapsed and convulsing on the ground.

“Holy shit, is he having a seizure?!” Adachi's voice peaked in panic, the detective pacing and rubbing his hands through his hair.

Dojima hesitantly held his hands over the teen, feeling helpless as the boys' limbs twitched uncontrollably, eyes rolled in the back of his head. He was too scared to roll him onto his side. Taking off his jacket, he quickly folded it up and slid it carefully under the teen's head.

“Adachi, keep time!”

“Wh—o-oh! S-Sure thing!”

Time seemed to slow down considerably, Dojima fighting back tears watching his nephew shake and writhe violently, unable to do anything, unsure if he could. He could hear Adachi muttering to himself, speaking the seconds out loud, his voice trembling and cracking as he did so. He focused on listening to Adachi's counting instead of his racing heart and the helpless sounds gurgling from the back of Souji's throat. His hands trembled at his sides. He hadn't had a hallucination in almost a month, and now this?! Why was this happening?! The kid was finally starting to get better, dammit!

Souji blinked, his body falling limp. He blinked again, looking around in a daze, and Dojima found himself hitting Adachi in the knee, the detective yelping in surprise.

“F-Forty three seconds, D-Dojima-san,” he whispered, finally kneeling down next to the teen. “S-Should we put him on his side?”

Dojima nodded dimly, lightly rolling the teen onto his left side. Souji's breathing was erratic, the teen still looking around faintly in confusion.

“Souji...” he swallowed, lightly coughing at his wavering voice. “Souji, hey, everything's gonna be fine, okay? Do you understand?”

Souji stared at him blankly, before going back to hazily looking at his surroundings, his breathing still harsh, but slowly calming into a rhythm. Dojima ran his hands down his face and leaned against the fence behind him, Adachi shakily sitting next to him. He could feel the younger detective trembling, sweat rolling down his brow, face as pale as Souji's. Adachi tensed when Dojima clasped a hand on his shoulder, a small smile on his lips before it fell as they looked back at the teen. Souji continued to look around, blinking rapidly like he was trying to fight off sleep.

“W...” Souji grumbled, staring off at nothing. “Wh...ere...?”

“We're in an alley, Souji. You ran off, but it's okay—you're okay. Everything's gonna be okay,” Dojima sputtered, watching his nephew carefully. He was looking at him, eyes glazed over in puzzlement, like he was struggling to process what the detective had said.

“Wh...ere...??” he repeated.

Dojima sighed, eyeing Adachi wearily as the detective pulled out his cellphone. He could see the man calling for an ambulance. Turning back to Souji, Dojima struggled to put on a smile.

“We're... safe, Souji.”

The teen's brows furrowed in contemplation. “...Safe...?” he parroted. “...Safe... Gone...?”

Souji glanced up to him at the last word, eyes brimming with curiosity tinted in fear. Dojima faltered, stumbling over words, unsure of how to respond. The teen frowned, lowering his gaze, Dojima biting his cheek in frustration at himself. At the sound of sudden shuffling, his focus diverted to the corner, watching as a shadow got closer on the ground, footsteps clicking in the dirt until Shiori rounded the corner. The siblings locked eyes for a long moment, his blood running cold when she directed her gaze to Souji.

“What happened?” she inquired, unmoving.

Dojima glowered. “He had a seizure.”

She raised her eyebrows, mouth pursed as she stepped closer, squatting down and humming lightly as she brushed Souji's hair through her fingers. The teen rotated, looking at the woman in slight confusion before returning to his original position. Then, his eyes widened in a blind panic, mumbling something rapidly under his breath. It took Dojima a moment until he managed to understand what Souji was saying.

“Worthless. Worthless. Worthless.”

 


	12. Chapter 12

He remembered his feet blistering as he ran, rocks and concrete digging into his skin. He remembered something falling loudly behind him. He remembered tripping and crashing to the floor. He remembered the sound of a chime and everything was lost, the world falling into a sea of blue.

He could hear distant murmurs, blurred figures sitting across from him. He couldn't see them clearly, couldn't understand what they said. Hadn't this happened before? It felt familiar, but he wasn't certain. It felt soothing where he was, inside the blue. He couldn't make a thing out, but nothing felt threatening. He found himself wanting to stay, to bask in the blue, to stay in the calm. He couldn't feel his blistering feet, his throbbing hand, the agonizing headache. He just wanted to stay where the pain was gone.

Of course, it didn't last.

Reality dotted back in a blinding light. He was on the ground, on dirt, the texture sending chills up his spine. Buildings loomed over him, almost blotting out the sky overhead. He made no effort of resistance when he was carefully rolled onto his side, examining the area as best as he could from his position. His uncle said something, but the words felt jumbled, like he was speaking another language. Souji could only stare, before looking around once more. Fatigue slowly started to set in, and he struggled to stay awake.

He questioned his uncle on his whereabouts, staring as the man answered in riddles and unwritten words. He tried again, the only word he managed to catch being 'safe'. The teen mumbled. Safe. They were safe. Did that mean the monsters were gone? He didn't hear them anymore, but... His uncle and Adachi talked some more, Souji unable to discern their words again. He felt a presence behind him, and he tensed at someone suddenly brushing back his bangs. Someone was humming.

Everything after that turned into a haze. The next thing he knew, he was back in a hospital bed, heart monitor ringing perpetually beside him. He glanced around, confused at the bigger room, confused at the flat-screen TV sitting in one of the corners of the room. His room wasn't nearly so spacious, and he didn't have a TV. Was there a mishap?

He turned lazily at the sound of rustling paper, his parents and uncle sitting on chairs against the wall, his mom on a tablet, dad reading the newspaper, and uncle asleep. Dojima's neck was going to be sore from the way he was sleeping. Bringing his hand up to his face, Souji rubbed his eyes mercilessly with the heel of his palm, lightly shifting himself in the bed. He didn't watch as he heard the newspaper being set down, didn't watch as he heard his parents walk over to his bedside.

"Hey there, kiddo." His dad smiled, gripping onto the railings of the bed, his posture stiff and tense.

He looked at the man, nodding dimly in response. He could feel his mom's stare, see it from the corner of his eye and he reluctantly turned to look at her. Her eyes glowed dangerously behind her glasses, lips pursed as her arms crossed. They stared each other down, Souji feeling like he was being backed into a corner with nowhere to go.

He felt himself relax when she smiled, only to tense up again immediately as she said, "At least you didn't run from us this time."

He looked to his father in horror who had started to laugh in response, his face flushing in embarrassment and anger as he gripped the blanket tightly, biting his tongue.

"He threw that girl to the ground like a bowling ball," he heard his mother chuckle, felt her gaze turn back onto him. "Seriously, Souji, where was that strength when we signed you up for soccer?"

"Yeah, you let the other kids push you to the ground like it was no big deal."

"That reminds me, you owe your mother an apology. You ripped my fake nail off. It bled."

Souji could feel them watching as he avoided their gaze. He could feel the heat in his face rush to his ears, biting his tongue harder as he fought back tears. It was all about them—always about them. When he was six and got separated in the mall, he was scolded for embarrassing them because he couldn't stop crying. When he was eight and broke his arm, his mother was furious at being called out of an important meeting at work to take him to the hospital. When he was eleven, his father was laughing at him and telling him to 'man-up' after confessing he'd been getting bullied, saying kids had it easy compared to the bullying in his childhood.

"Souji?" He jumped at Shiori snapping her fingers in front of his face. "I'm waiting."

He started to bite his cheek after his tongue started to pulse in pain, the teen continuing to avoid her gaze. He could hear her tapping her foot impatiently, the high heel cracking on the floor and overpowering the sound of the monitor next to him. He threw a kid to the ground? He ripped her nail off? He didn't remember any of that... He couldn't have... He wouldn't have. When he saw his parents, the monsters came back... The monsters... They...

"It wasn't me..." he mumbled.

"Speak up, I can't hear you."

"It wasn't me," he repeated, continuing to avoid their gaze.

Shiori sighed in aggravation, "Of  _course_  it was you, otherwise I wouldn't be asking  _you_  for an apology. It's very easy to say you're sorry, Souji, I don't know why you're trying to make excuses."

"IT WASN'T ME!" he screeched, reaching behind him and throwing the pillow blindly as he shut his eyes, tears furiously falling down his face. His heart raced in his head, the monitor spiking in tempo. He heard Dojima jump out of his seat and the room fell to a standstill.

He slowly opened his eyes, slowly lowering his arm from where he kept it outstretched, lip quivering and heart racing in horror as he turned to his mother. Her glasses were skewed and her hair a static-frizzed mess. He could see the pillow at the floor by her feet, her face set in stone as she stared him down again, eyes glazed over in blind fury. He heard himself squeaking, unable to form coherent words as she stepped closer, pushing his father out of the way as she lifted her hand. He shut his eyes and waited for the impact, but it never came.

"Let go, Ryotaro." He heard her snarl.

"You are going to leave. Now." He heard his uncle say, voice dangerous and low. "You're leaving as well, Yuudai."

"He's  _our_  son—who are you to tell  _us_  to leave?"

The squabbling quickly escalated, the adults screaming at each other. He heard the impact of a punch, and heard his uncle cursing past it as the yelling continued. He found himself dragging his knees up to his chest as far as he could, burying his head in them as he sobbed, his chest heavy as his body trembled uncontrollably. He could hear the monitor spiking faster, his ears started to ring, his uncle hollering to calm down because they were making him worse. The slam of a door bounced along the walls, voices of newcomers screaming over the three, yelling at them to get out. He heard struggling and resistance, and then the door closed with a quiet click.

He heard the quick and patted footsteps that came close to him, body weighted as they pushed him back to lie down, and he could do nothing but cry hysterically and apologize profusely before everything was gone again.


	13. Chapter 13

He was stuck in solitude for a week, the only people allowed to check up on him being nurses and doctors. It was terrifyingly boring being alone for so long, but he was relieved at the fact the monsters and bending walls hadn't come back to bother him. The double with the amber eyes felt like a far-off dream. He scoffed at himself, resting his arm over his eyes as he took a deep breath. This entire thing was so...  _stupid_. If he'd just tried to stick through the school day, if he'd never found that body, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe he wouldn't have been kidnapped and stuck with some hallucinogens—what else could explain the falling through the TV? The monsters? That mirror image of himself?

He'd been drugged, there was no way around it. It was the only thing that made sense, and he hated himself for getting so worked up, so scared and terrified when he hallucinated the experience again and again. He was relieved the hallucinations were gone—but he felt like such an idiot for reacting the way he did when they'd occurred.

If his parents hadn't forced him to come to Inaba, none of this would have happened.

Even though his parents got him moved to a bigger room with a TV, he barely turned it on. When he did, he would surf through the channels blankly, not even paying attention as he skipped through the shows before finally turning it off. He found himself sleeping more—exhaustion eating away at his mind like it was the only thing he needed to survive. His dreams were empty, nothing but darkness. Sometimes he thought he could hear a chime, the chime he'd heard many times before, but nothing came of it. His injuries continued to heal slower than normal, the doctors running tests every week trying to discern the problem, coming up empty every time. Even the onset of his heightened fatigue was baffling to them. They had even suggested running two tests a week, hoping to find results faster.

He told them no.

The constant prodding, the constant invading his personal space, the constant loud machines, the constant  _everything_  was grating on his nerves. He couldn't handle anymore than he already was—he wouldn't.

Souji looked over listlessly when knocks came from the door, watching as his uncle poked his head in. The man noticed him staring and let out a sigh of relief, waltzing in the room with Nanako in tow. The two made their way to his bedside in silence, scraping chairs along the floor as they scooted close.

Dojima coughed into his hand, then started to scratch the back of his head. "How've you been...?"

He shrugged. "When I'm not sleeping, I'm bored."

"I see..." Dojima mumbled, bringing his hand down to his lap. His leg started to tremble, his foot tapping the floor repeatedly. "Look, I'm... sorry for what happened. Things got out of control, and that was—"

"You helped me, why are you apologizing?" he interrupted, his eyebrows raising in confusion. "She was going to hit me. I'm glad you stopped her."

"Who was going to hit you?" Nanako chimed in, concern cornering her young face. "Are you okay?"

Souji smiled briefly. "I'm fine. Your dad saved me."

Her face glowed in pride, kicking her legs before her gaze wandered over to the TV in the corner, staring at it in awe. Grabbing the remote from beside him, Souji shifted himself over, tapping the object on her shoulder to get her attention. Her eyes lit up, tiny fingers grabbing onto the remote.

"Watch whatever you want." He grinned.

"O-Okay!"

As Nanako surfed through the channels, Souji flopped back to the bed, eyeing his uncle who continued to look downcast. He kept running his hands through his hair, sighing heavily. Souji frowned, uncertain what to say.

"They left the day after." Dojima glanced up, voice heavy. "I'm sorry the visit didn't go well."

"No, I—" he faltered, feeling his bottom lip start to tremble. "It's fine."

"No, it's not."

Nanako looked at them slowly. "Are you two fighting...?" she asked, voice hushed.

The men looked at her, both of them quickly telling her that no, they weren't. To ease her discomfort, Souji decided to ask how school was going, watching her features light up again as she went on a bubbly spiel. He could feel Dojima giving him a concerned look, the teen ignoring it while he listened to his cousin joyfully ramble about her school life. She continued to talk, interrupting herself time-to-time when the Junes jingle popped up on the commercial breaks, Souji having to remind her where she left off. It didn't take long for her to finish her tale, and Souji suggested she move closer to the TV if she wanted to see it in all of it's glory. He smiled, watching her kick her feet ecstatically, eyes shining bright as she leaned close to the screen when Dojima moved her chair in front of it.

Dojima came back to sit at his side, chuckling and shaking his head dimly at Nanako's antics before it fell into a quiet seriousness. The two shuffled in awkward movements, the TV bellowing over their silence. Souji chewed on his lip, thinking back to the visit with his parents. It had all escalated so fast. Thinking back on it, maybe he overreacted. He should have just apologized and let his mother win. She always had to be the winner, after all.

"Did... did my dad hit you?" he questioned, looking at his uncle meekly. "When... when you stopped mom and..." He paused, suddenly finding himself unable to look his uncle in the eye. "I'm sorry..."

"If I couldn't handle your dad's punches, I wouldn't be fit to be a teacher, let alone a cop," his uncle responded, lightly ruffling Souji's hair. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine... Look, after all this mess is sorted out, if you want to talk about home... about anything, I'll listen, all right?"

His uncle placed a firm hand on his shoulder, Souji looking up and nodding curtly. He could see the heartbreak and betrayal washed in his uncle's eyes, the man obviously disconcerted about the way his parents treated him. He watched Dojima sink back into his chair, finding himself ridden with guilt. His uncle looked so tired.

"We still have no leads," he lamented, holding his head in his hands. "The bastard used the spare key, wore  _my_  shoes, but he left nothing. Not a single trace of himself."

"There was nothing on my clothes?" Souji questioned, squinting as Dojima shook his head.

"You were clean, just like Yamano... You don't remember knocking over the TV, do you?"

"No... All I did was hit the side, but that wasn't hard enough to send it flying."

Dojima sighed and leaned back in his chair, arms hanging listlessly at his side as he looked up dimly to the ceiling. "It just doesn't make any sense..." he mumbled. "None of this makes any sense..."

"W-Well, they had to have drugged me, right? Wouldn't that help? Find out what they used and—"

"There were no traces of drugs in your system. They didn't drug you."

Souji felt his blood run cold, mouth hanging open as words died on his lips. No, that didn't make any sense—he  _had_  to have been drugged! It was the only thing that explained the hallucinations... those monsters...  _him_. He had to have been, it... it didn't make sense... those things... they couldn't have been real.

"W-What if the tests were wrong?" he stammered, Dojima shifting lightly to look at him in surprise. "C-Can they run them again somehow? There's—there's no way I wasn't—"

"Souji, I'm sorry, but there was nothing in your system," his uncle repeated, cocking his head to the side, his face filled with concern. "Did you remember something?"

He turned away, finding his chest heavy as his mind wandered and ran. He wasn't drugged? He had to be! The hallucinations... were hallucinations, right? He had never actually  _seen_  those weird, grotesque...  _things_ , right? That  _him_  with the lightning eyes, he just imagined it under the influence of being drugged, right? He had to! There was no feasible explanation for any of it otherwise! He fell into a TV—you can't just  _fall_  into a TV! It wasn't... There wasn't...

"Souji, you can talk to me." His uncle's voice sounded distant, the supportive hand on his shoulder feeling like nothing more than a feather. The TV was faded, the heart monitor barely audible. His body lulled him to lie back down, his limbs unceremoniously heavy, head clouded and weighed down like a cement block.

"I'm sorry, Uncle... I'm... really tired," he mumbled, feeling his eyes flutter shut until he was stuck in a deserted dream.

He woke up to rain pattering on the window, the room dark and empty. He couldn't remember the last time it had rained. A quick glance around the room made him figure Dojima and Nanako had left hours ago, the clock reading close to midnight, if he was seeing it right. Stretching lightly, he jolted as his elbow brushed against something hard, only for him to laugh at himself when he realized it was just the remote. Nanako must have placed it there before they left, and he noted the chairs had been pushed back against the wall as well. Rolling his head on the pillow, he slowly shifted himself to be laying on his left side, keeping mindful of his still-recovering shoulder. It annoyed him. The sling was still constrictive, he could feel his shoulder twinge in pain, and he couldn't write anything. He wished it would heal faster, but even the minor cuts and scrapes on his feet were still taking eternity to heal.

He just wanted out of this damn hospital. Trying to catch up on a month's worth of work at school would be more preferable than one more day stuck in a bed.

He lurched in a panic as the TV suddenly sprung on, static cornering the screen and echoing around the room. Sitting up, Souji glared, grabbing the remote and clicking the power button. The TV remained on. Puzzled, he pressed the button again. It stayed. He pressed it again and again and again, the static continuing to jumble across the screen and echo in the room. Grumbling to himself, he slid off the bed, legs wobbling as he leaned against the bed and grabbed onto the IV stand for support. After he felt his legs adjust to his weight, he slowly pushed himself away from the bed, taking slow, small steps as he wheeled the IV stand beside him, wincing as his feet burned and throbbed in protest.

He stopped halfway, staring at the static-filled screen as his stomach twisted and knotted. It was like that night... Had he really fallen into the TV that night? But... it made no sense! There was no way! He stared at the screen, eyes watering as the static burned spots into his vision. Nobody had been in the house except him and Nanako. He didn't hear anybody come in. The only time someone was there, the only time he thought he felt someone else there, was when his fingers were pushed off of the edge of the TV. Gritting his teeth, he pressed onward, squinting as he thought he saw silhouettes past the static, only to fade in an instant.

What had happened before wasn't real, it couldn't be. He was overthinking things now. He  _had_  to have been drugged, and he  _had_  to have been physically taken out of Dojima's house by some crazed kidnapper. He did  _not_  fall through a TV. His hand did  _not_  go through the TV. It was all ludicrous—that entire scenario was nothing more than a hallucination! It had to be. It had to be...

Stopping short of the TV, he swallowed the lump that appeared in the back of his throat, hand hurting at how harshly he was gripping onto the IV stand. Taking a deep breath, Souji closed his eyes and let go of the stand, fingers cracking painfully as they curled out of the tight fist. Shakily, he brought his hand forward, his fingertips brushing the screen of the TV. He was about to smile in victory, his fingers stopping at the glass, before he felt them dip through, surfing through it as if it were nothing but water. It felt like his heart stopped, his blood running cold at the sensation. He kept his eyes shut tight, face twitching as he strained to keep them closed.

No. No no no  _no_! He was dreaming—he was still... This...

His fingers suddenly burned, and he found himself getting pulled. His abdomen smacked painfully at the edge of the TV, and he could hear the IV stand rattling as it got pulled along with him, Souji continuing to keep his eyes shut as he felt his upper half get dragged through the screen. He couldn't hang onto anything this time, but he tried to ground himself by digging his knees into the TV stand, desperately trying to push himself back. The burning, grabbing claws dug back into his skin and he quickly gave up, his body heavy and his mind lost.

It was real.

It was real...

He let out a sob as he was dragged back into that feverish hellscape.


	14. Chapter 14

"I can't believe you roped me into visiting him again..." Yosuke grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms as he hunched his shoulders, lowering his head in a pout.

Chie huffed, lifting her head high as she looked away from the brunette. "You were being so rude the last time you visited! You should offer him a free steak at Junes to make up for it!"

Yosuke looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Why the hell would I do that?! I barely know the guy!"

"Well, he  _was_  found in the Junes p—"

"Do  _not_ finish that sentence," he seethed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, I feel  _bad_  for the guy, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna just start being buddy-buddy with him! I shouldn't even  _be_  here—I have shit I have to do."

Chie rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Yosuke. If it was really that important, you wouldn't have bothered to come. If you really didn't want to be friends with Souji-kun, you wouldn't have bothered the first time! C'mooon, just admit you wanna get to know the guy. It must be nice to not be the only one from the city, right?"

She turned to look at him, grin creeping on her face as she noticed a light blush fluttering on his cheeks as he tried to hid his face past his collar. His eyes darted furiously before he finally caught notice of her staring, and he straightened up, face turning an even deeper shade of red.

"Shut up! I mean—" Yosuke paused, stopping in his tracks as he looked ahead in confusion.

Chie watched him, taking a few more steps until she stopped herself. Eyeing him strangely, she slowly turned to look at what he was staring at, her face falling at the sight of police tape bordering the entry way of a hospital room. Was it Souji's new room? No, no it couldn't be.

She dashed forward, Yosuke hot on her heels as they peered past the tape in curiosity, only to be met with a closed door. She felt the blood rush away from her face as she looked at the door number. That was his new room. Chie turned to look at Yosuke, who was cursing silently, wringing his hands together. She jumped when the door clicked and swung open, staring at Souji's uncle as he walked through it. The man paused at the sight of the teens standing so close to the police tape, yelling to other officers in the room, questioning where two officers were and why they weren't standing watch. Dojima didn't bother waiting for a reply before ducking under the tape, eyeing the teens warily.

"Satonaka and Hanamura, right?" he questioned, the teens nodding blankly. "You mind coming with me for a minute?"

The two looked at each other nervously, and Dojima sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry, you guys aren't in trouble," he grumbled tiredly. "Look, just... forget I even asked. There's nothing for you two to see here; it'd be best for you to get home."

The man started to stalk off down the hall, movements slow and sluggish, shoulders drooping as he walked. Chie glanced at Yosuke before dashing down after the detective.

"Wait, Dojima-san, sir!" she called, the man stopping to look at her as she ran to his side. "If it can help, I'll tell you everything I can!"

She paused, before pointing at Yosuke who hadn't moved. "And so will Yosuke!"

She heard the other teen bellow in confusion at suddenly being called out, and Dojima laughed. It was low and soft, and Chie felt her heart sink at how exhausted the detective looked and sounded. Dojima motioned them to follow and Yosuke reluctantly dragged behind, lightly smacking Chie's arm when he caught up, the two making faces at each other as Dojima led them through the hospital. The girl noticed the nurses all seemed on edge, and some of the patients did, too. Others seemed obliviously happy, wandering around and talking without a care in the world. The man led them to the cafeteria, digging out his wallet and leering through it as they stood in line.

"What do you kids want? No need for you to stay in line with me," he said, continuing to look through his wallet. "You can go find us a table or something."

Yosuke stammered, grabbing his wallet from his pocket, "Oh, uh, I-I'll get a—"

"Put your wallet away; it's on me."

The teens glanced at each other before turning back to the detective.

"A-Are you sure?" Chie questioned, blush of embarrassment forming on her cheeks. "I-I mean we can pay! I'll j—"

"It's on me. What do you two want?"

The teens looked at each other again before quickly glancing at the menu and hurriedly telling Dojima their orders before he shooed them off to find a table. They found one near the windows that looked out into the garden, Yosuke nearly missing his seat as he observed Dojima in the lineup. After he corrected himself, he looked at Chie quickly, before glancing back at Dojima. Chie chewed her cheek, watching the detective as well. His moves were slow and sluggish, and he kept dragging his hands through his hair.

"I feel so bad for him and Souji-kun..." she mumbled. "I can't even begin to imagine what they're going through..."

"No kidding. And, even through this shit, he's still offering to buy us lunch. If I were him, I wouldn't want to talk to anybody!"

The two continued their hushed conversation, sneaking peeks at Dojima until he started heading towards the table. The teens quickly sat back in their chairs as Dojima approached, the detective giving them a tired smile as he passed out their food before sitting down himself. The teens thanked him profusely again, Yosuke even trying to dig out his wallet once more before Dojima put up his hand and gave him a stern look. Chie found herself tense, her elbows locked as she moved her beef sandwich to her mouth—she found herself unable to focus on the meal, only staring awkwardly as Dojima distractedly started to sip at his coffee, looking off into the distance.

What was possibly only a couple of uncomfortable silence felt like hours before Dojima jolted, shaking his head in sudden surprise. Lowering his head and rubbing the nape of his neck, he gave a short chuckle and set his drink down.

"Sorry, just... got a lot on my mind..." He apologized, trailing off at the last couple of words. Chie felt her stomach knot in pity, setting her sandwich down as Yosuke did the same. The detective either ignored their actions or didn't seem to notice, digging into his back pocket for a small notebook which he placed on the counter, grabbing a pen from another pocket.

"Just... answer to the best of your ability. Thank you for helping."

Chie shuffled to fold her hands on the table. "It's no trouble at all! I've only talked to him a couple of times, but I consider Souji-kun my friend, and I want to see him safe."

Dojima laughed, "There's no need to be so formal. I won't bite."

Chie laughed hesitantly, feeling a slight blush of embarrassment creep over her nose, scratching her cheek with her index finger nervously. She heard Yosuke snicker, and she quickly kicked his leg under the table, his snickers turning into a pained yelp.

Dojima frowned lightly after a pause, before turning back to the notepad. He twirled the pen in his fingers and sighed, scratching the back of his neck again. "I know he was only at school for one day, but do you know if there was anybody with ill-will towards him?" His question came out slow, as if he was thinking of what to ask as he said it.

The teens looked at each other, before their eyes darted away in concentration, Chie tilting her head and crossing her arms as she thought. She didn't really chime into other people's conversations, and could only recall hearing Souji's name murmured in the classroom constantly for a couple of days after the assembly. She pursed her mouth to the side, scowling, trying to delve past her conversations with Yukiko from the past month and dig out any speech from other students. There had to be something, right?

She glanced up as Yosuke started to speak, "All I can think of is King Moro—er, our homeroom teacher—saying that Souji-kun's missing class because he's a 'hot shot from the city' and he's not actually 'injured', he's just trying to 'get with girls like the lazy, good-for-nothing he is'."

Dojima lifted an accusing eyebrow before scribbling in his book, mumbling something under his breath. When he was done, he gave Chie a glance, the girl stammering.

"I-I couldn't think of anything, sorry..."

"It's fine, please don't apologize. You offered to help, and that's more than I can ask for at this point."

Chie felt herself blushing again. She felt it fade away as the detective asked if Chie had seen anybody suspicious hovering near Souji's room when she visited, or if Yosuke had seen anybody suspicious at Junes. They both thought for a good while, but were unable to think of anything. More questions were brought up, Dojima eventually laying his pen down on the table as the teens could only answer 'no'. A couple of short minutes passed, and Chie could tell the detective was getting frustrated and running on a thin stream of energy, long pauses between words as he struggled to ask another question. He was so worried and so desperate, Chie wished she could do something more...

"I-If you want, Dojima-san, sir, I can ask around school if anybody's heard anything!" she belted, the man jolting up from where he held his head in his hands. "A-And I can ask Yukiko if she can ask her guests at the inn! I'm sure Yosuke wouldn't mind asking some customers, right?"

Yosuke shot her a quick glare, before it fell into complacency as he looked at Dojima's exhaustion. "Yeah, I can try. I'll see if my folks can help out, too."

Dojima looked between the two for a good moment, shock on his face before it drifted into a shaking smile. He turned to a new page in his notebook and scribbled something on it, then ripped the page out and ripped it again in half. He handed the teens the sheets of paper before he stood up from his chair.

"That's my number. You can call me anytime if you find any new info, or if someone takes your bento box and you want to give them a lesson, I can probably give you a few pointers. If I don't pick up right away, just try again." He grabbed his coffee cup and nodded at the two tiredly. "Thank you for trying to help today. I'm glad Souji has someone other than me looking out for him."

Before either of the teens could respond, Dojima had turned and started back towards the stairs. The duo glanced at each other before Chie pulled out her cellphone, programming Dojima's number into it.


	15. Chapter 15

He perked up from where he was holding his head in his hands, whipping his head to look at the door so fast the room spun. Adachi stood at the door, and the look on his face said it all. Dojima sighed, slowly burying his face back into his hands, listening as his partner sat across from him.

"...I..." Adachi started, faltering. "...I'm so sorry..."

Sorry, sorry, sorry. It was all anybody ever said to him anymore. The pitying glances, the hushed murmurs. He didn't need their apologies—he needed an end. It had been two weeks since Souji's second disappearance, and there were no signs, no evidence, no trace of anything. The windows hadn't been opened, the video feed of the hallway showed nobody entering or exiting the room. Everything was explaining that there was no physical way Souji left that room—yet, he was missing, literally without a trace. At least with the first scene where he was kidnapped, there had been evidence: the broken TV, the misplaced shoes, the dirt on the shovel. There was nothing this time. Even his IV stand was gone.

The Satonaka girl had texted him every day, updating him on her not-so-successful quests for information. He was glad she was so eager to help, but her texts, along with Hanamura's seldom updates, they always said "sorry". Even the kids pitied him.

"Do... Do you want me to get you some coffee, sir?"

He brought his hands down, enough to peer up at Adachi. Rubbing his face before slamming his hands down on his desk and stretching back into his chair, Dojima rolled his neck before looking to the ceiling.

"No. I've had too many cups today," he grumbled. "Haven't been getting any sleep."

"Well, that's obvious, considering, well... everything." He could hear Adachi fumble in his seat, the chair creaking as the man spun lightly. "Dojima-san, why don't you go home and get some rest? Take a couple of days off. I'm sure Nanako-chan w—"

"I can't. I'm not leaving another case cold."

"That's not what I—"

"I can't," he stated again, hoping Adachi hadn't heard the slight tremble he felt in his voice. He turned his head to observe the younger man, watching as Adachi fumbled awkwardly in his seat. He scratched behind his ear, cursing at himself because he knew Adachi was just trying to help. He ran through his mind, trying to come up with something to say to dissuade the hesitant silence, only for his exhaustion to overwhelm his system, stalling his vocabulary.

"How about you take the rest of the day off, then?" Adachi finally spoke, Dojima's forming apology lost immediately. The younger man leaned forward on the desk, eyebrows stitched together in concern. "If not for yourself, then for Souji-kun and Nanako-chan. You can't keep working like this, Dojima-san, it's not healthy. You're fading out of conversations entirely, you walk at a snail's pace, and you probably feel worse than you look, but have you actually  _looked_  at yourself lately?"

Dojima bit his lip and furrowed his brow, glancing to the floor as he rubbed the back of his neck. He never thought anything of it, taking quick looks to the mirror after washing his hands. He knew he looked tired, but Adachi was making it sound like he looked even worse. He wondered if that was why Nanako was so distant when he came home the other day as she was getting ready for bed—had he scared her? Now that he thought about it, she barely looked at him. Dammit, everything was wrong.

He jumped when Adachi's hand was on his shoulder, looking to the man who was suddenly standing next to him in confusion. Adachi nodded, motioning for him to get up. Hesitantly standing, Dojima blinked slowly he saw the room spin before his eyes, Adachi keeping a grip on his arm.

Adachi sighed, dragging Dojima's arm over his shoulder."You look ready to fall over. Here, gimme your keys, I'll drive you home."

"No... I'm fine... Just got up too fast, I guess," he mumbled.

"If that's getting up too fast, then my grandma can beat you in a race, and she passed away four years ago." Dojima turned to look at Adachi in disbelief, who returned the look just as fast. "C'mon, let's get you home."

"But, th—"

"You know just as well as I do the case isn't going anywhere. Right now, you need rest. You aren't any help to us, to Souji-kun, to Nanako-chan, or to yourself right now. If there's any kind of update, I'll phone you right away."

"B—"

"I'll phone you if anything happens." Adachi reiterated, slowly and straining emphasis on every word.

Dojima sighed in defeat, allowing the younger man to help him hobble out the door. They made their way through the office, Dojima trying his best to ignore the looks directed at them. The pitying looks, accompanied with pitying murmurs. It was enough to make his stomach churn and his blood boil. Gritting his teeth, he kept his head high, scowling unintentionally as he took his arm away from Adachi's shoulder, muttering that he could walk just fine. Adachi looked at him with concern, reluctance in his step as they continued through the station. He tried his best to ignore it, and tried his best to ignore his shaking knees as it felt like they were going to buckle underneath his weight. He didn't want to admit he needed the help, pushing himself as they filed through hall after hall.

The front of the station was near deserted, save for a few receptionists they greeted as they passed. Without the pressuring stares and murmurs from the rest of the crew, his legs suddenly gave way and he leaned heavily against the wall as they neared the front doors. Spots shrouded his vision and his breathing came out hazardously, unable to determine if he was getting enough air. Adachi was gripping onto his arm and leading him to the benches nearby, Dojima wanting to refuse to sit down in case he couldn't get back up again. The younger detective asked him something, but Dojima wasn't listening. He was trying to concentrate on his breathing—it didn't feel right. Closing his eyes, he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He could feel the world waver around him, spinning under his feet even though he was sitting.

His hands trembled where they gripped onto the end of the bench. His body felt weighted, like he was sitting in water that just kept raising in levels until it sat uncomfortably under his chin. He swallowed the lump in his throat, realizing how dry his mouth was. He opened his eyes slowly, lowering his head as his vision started out blurred. He could feel Adachi next to him, the man staring at him in concern.

"Help me up..." he mumbled, cursing himself for being so weak.

"Dojima-san," his tone was inquisitive as he lifted Dojima's arm back over his shoulder and hoisted him up. "Have you had anything to eat today? Have you drank anything besides coffee?"

Dojima faltered, blinking slowly as he tried to recollect the days hazy events. They blended in with yesterday and the day before and the week before, everything coming at him in a disjointed and messy heap of memories. He struggled for words, brow stitching together as they exited the station and slowly made their way across the parking lot to his SUV.

"I... think I had a piece of toast..." he grumbled, pursing his lips in confusion.

He heard Adachi sigh in disgust and saw the man shake his head out of the corner of his eye. "How do you expect to get this case solved if you can't even take care of your basic needs, Dojima-san?!"

"I j—"

"No!" He jumped, looking to his partner with shock as the man glared at him. "Don't give me any of your bullshit."

"Adachi, I—" he faltered as they stopped moving, Adachi continuing to scowl. "I... I'm sorry."

He sighed deeply, sheepishly glancing to the side as Adachi continued to stare at him. Adachi kept his gaze lingering, before he grunted and started to move again. Their steps resonated on the concrete into the empty night, street lamps dimly lighting their way across the parking lot. He thought he felt something drip onto his nose. Before he could give it a second thought, it suddenly started to pour. Cursing, Adachi tugged on Dojima, trying to get him to hurry along. Rain was running down their faces and soaking into their clothes by the time they made it to the SUV, Adachi letting Dojima go and waiting expectantly at the door.

Quickly, Dojima pat his pockets and froze. His keys were in his jacket pocket. So was his cell phone. They'd left it on the chair in his office. Adachi must have noticed his perplexed look, because his face fell in realization before he hopped lightly, dashing into a sprint back into the station. Dojima shivered, hugging himself as the rain continued to fall and seep into his shirt as he leaned against the vehicle. Lowering his head, he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, choking back a sob that he could feel trembling in the pit of his stomach. His nephew didn't deserve this. Just as his condition was starting to improve, the hallucinations started again... and he just... vanished. No traces, no evidence, nothing. Nothing. Just like Yamano... Dammit.

Nanako was just starting to warm up to him—getting excited for the visits and asking if he'd be released soon so they wouldn't have to keep going back to the hospital. It hurt going home without any news. It hurt going home seeing her so melancholy, so alone.

Dammit.

He felt himself letting out a heavy, shivering sigh as he turned his head to the sound of Adachi's footsteps on the wet pavement. The younger man approached coughing into his sleeve and red faced, handing Dojima his jacket as he unlocked the door with the keys without a word. Getting in on the passenger's side, Dojima placed the coat on his lap and buckled himself in, side-eyeing his teammate.

"I shoulda grabbed my coat on the way out," he grumbled, shaking his head.

Clearing his throat, Adachi gave him a quick smile before looking to back out of the parking spot. "Don't worry about it, Dojima-san. You're exhausted, it's okay. Little bit of running in the rain won't hurt me."

"...Yeah..." he mumbled, focusing back on the coat on his lap, fingers curling into it. His knuckles hit the form of his cellphone in the pocket, and he blinked slowly before taking the device out and flipping it open.

No new messages.

"Maybe it's not the best time to bring it up, but have you heard about that rumour?"

He looked over lightly as Adachi kept his focus on the road, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"What rumour?"

"The one about the Midnight Channel. It says that if you look into a TV when it's midnight while it's raining your... oh... what was it uh..." Adachi's brow furrowed, lips pursing as he thought. "Your... future... something about your future will appear on the screen or... something! And I think the TV has to be turned off for it to work."

Dojima rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you believe in that crap, Adachi."

"W-Well, sir, I just thought uh..." the younger detective faltered, stammering before coughing into his hand. "Uh, so, do I take a left here?"

Dojima smirked and stifled a tired laugh, "Don't even try that, Adachi, you know how to get to m—" he jumped as his phone vibrated, ringtone blaring past the rain drumming on the windows. He hesitated for a moment, staring at the screen blankly before answering, "...Shiori...?"

"What the hell do you mean he's gone missing again?!" his sister belted on the other line, Dojima flinching.

"Shiori, I sent you that message two weeks ago!"

"Then that means you've found him by now, right?"

"No, b—"

"What the hell are you doing then?! Find him!"

"I'm t—"

"Do you not understand how bad this will make Yuudai and I look?! We send our kid to live with you and he gets kidnapped—twice, might I add—and our boss blames  _us_  for this! He was the only reason we went to visit in the first place, even though the brat was—"

Gritting his teeth and shutting his eyes, Dojima found a headache starting in the base of his skull as he growled, "Shut up."

There was a short pause before he heard his sister scoff, "What did you just tell me to do?"

"I told you to shut up. Your son is out there without a trace, and he could be dead, Shiori. I didn't tell you before, but he was confirmed DEAD at the scene when we found him the first time. DEAD. I held him in my arms and he was stone cold, he was blue, he was  _dead_. It was a  _miracle_  he came back to life, and nobody knows how or why it happened. He's only sixteen, Shiori. Sixteen years old and you don't give a fucking shit whether your own son lives or dies. He's barely had the chance TO live. What the fuck is your problem?! What if this was Dad?! What if this was Mom?!"

"Don't y—"

"What if it were me?! Would you be acting like this for anyone else? What if it was Yuudai?! Why the FUCK don't you love your son?!"

"I DO l—"

"Don't kid yourself. If you loved him, you wouldn't have gone to hit him, you wouldn't call him 'brat', and you wouldn't have waited until your fucking boss forced you to come to pay him a visit in the hospital. You make me sick, Shiori. Mom and Dad would be disappointed."

"Quit bringing them into this."

"No. I know for a fact that they would have visited without hesitation. They were good people. You used to be a good person, but now I don't even know who you are anymore. I'll tell you when we find your son, but if he's still alive, and God I hope he is, I'm bringing you to court."

"You're  _what_?"

"Bringing you to court," he seethed, heart racing with his headache. He couldn't believe what he was saying, his mouth running before his thoughts. He could feel Adachi staring at him with concern, and he barely realized they'd been stopped in the parking space at his home. "Souji deserves a loving family, and you are not what he deserves."

He pulled the phone away from his ear, ignoring his sister as she screamed at him frantically before hanging up. He slid in the seat, closing his eyes as he lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. His headache pounded feverishly with his hammering heart, and he ignored the frantic vibration and ringtone popping back up from his phone. Undoing his seatbelt, he climbed out of the car without a word, slamming the door shut behind him with more force than was necessary. He heard Adachi get out of the car moments later, the sound of the keys dangling in his fingers as he ran to his side.

"D-Do you need to talk about what just happened?" Adachi asked, placing a hand on Dojima's shoulder as his face was cornered in concern.

He stared at the younger man, lightly grabbing the keys and unlocking the door before heaving a sigh. "I'll phone you if I do. Thanks, Adachi." He paused with his hand on the doorknob, glancing at the younger man. "How will you get home?"

Adachi opened his mouth to speak, before he faltered and looked to the side, then looked back at the SUV, and then back at Dojima before running his hands through his hair with a crooked grin. "I... didn't think this through."

Dojima smiled, "Seems like you need as much sleep as I do. You can spend the night, if you want."

"No, no, I couldn't!" Adachi waved his hands defensively, "I can just call someone from the station to pick me up. Hamasaki might be willing, she could even say hi to Nanako-chan."

"Hamasaki's kid broke her leg, remember? She hasn't been at the station for the past two days." He found himself shaking his head in amusement. "Unless you  _did_  plan this out so you could have an excuse to talk to her, you just forgot the most crucial part."

Adachi froze, blinking slowly before he dissolved into a hesitant laugh, voice dripping in sarcasm as he over-exaggerated his movements. "You sure got me, Dojima-san! That was the big plan all along, yep! Just wanted to talk to Hamasaki-san." His laughter slowly died as he shuffled awkwardly on the step. "But, if it's okay with you, I can just borrow an umbrella and walk home. It doesn't bother me."

Dojima frowned. "Are you sure? It's no trouble if—"

"It's fine, Dojima-san. I gotta get home tonight, anyway," he reassured. "I promise I won't lose your umbrella."

Dojima hesitated, before shrugging and opening the door. "If you're sure, then all right. I'll see you tomorrow, Adachi. Thanks again." He kicked off his shoes and grabbed his umbrella near the door, handing it to the younger man who grinned.

"It was no trouble, Dojima-san. You take care of yourself, all right? Have something to eat, and no more coffee, or I'll tell Nanako-chan to keep an eye on you!" he threatened, smile on his face as he waved and started walking away before Dojima could respond. He watched Adachi for a moment until he was out of view before finally closing and locking the door.

He took a couple of steps in before he froze, his stomach dropping and heart starting to race again. He didn't hear the TV. He'd brought the one from his room down to the living room for Nanako to watch, and he didn't hear it on.

"Nanako?" he called out, stepping into the house. He could already see she wasn't in the living room. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he started to head towards the girl's room, freezing as the door slowly opened. He saw her peer out from the crack in the door, and he felt his body relax as she jumped out and ran to hug him at his waist.

"I-I-I-I heard s-someone unlock t-the door, b-b-but they d-d-didn't come in a-a-and I g-got scared, a-and—" she sobbed, clutching into his shirt.

The weight landed right back onto his shoulders as he found himself trembling with guilt. He lightly pushed her away in order to kneel down and hug her properly, stroking her hair as he apologized, "I'm so so sorry, Nanako, I didn't even think. I got distracted talking to Adachi... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Nanako continued to cry into his shoulder, Dojima holding on until she calmed down into quiet hiccups. She rubbed her eyes tiredly as she pulled away, lip continuing to tremble as she continued to calm down slowly. She averted her gaze and looked to the floor, continuing to wipe at her face with her sleeves.

"...Souji's still missing, isn't he...?" she whispered, Dojima biting his lip and looking to the floor.

"We'll find him..." he mumbled, and he could her hear whimper quietly in response.

They were quiet near the rest of the night, Dojima nodding off on the couch where they sat and watched TV. His phone kept ringing on and off, Nanako questioning it in concern. Every time he looked, it was always Shiori. Eventually, he turned his phone off. He didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until he was woken up by Nanako asking for a bedtime story, which he slowly complied to. She fell into a deep sleep a couple of pages in, and he watched her for a moment, finding his eyes watering as he looked at her sleeping face. She looked like an angel. She was going through so much. She was only six years old. She didn't deserve this. She deserved better than him.

If only Chisato...

Shutting his eyes tightly he clenched his fist before he left Nanako's room. He couldn't think like that. He couldn't. Lightly closing her door, he ran his hands through his hair as he stalked into the kitchen, opening the fridge without a second thought. Glancing through the shelves, his eyes landed on a case of beer on the bottom. He stared at it for a long moment before grabbing a can and shutting the door closed. Well, it wasn't coffee. He still hadn't had anything to eat. He'd just have to lie to Adachi, then.

Collapsing back onto the couch, he rested the can between his knees and ran his hands along his face, sighing deeply. His mind wandered back to the phone call with his sister. Take her to court, what was he thinking? If she didn't just buy the judge out, she could easily turn the tides on him. He was by no means a good father, considering what he put Nanako through, considering he left her alone most of the time. He tried to be, dammit, he tried, but it was just so hard. With Chisato, at least he...

No. He couldn't think like that, dammit. He was all Nanako had, and she was all he had. They needed each other, and he still loved her unconditionally. He tried his best, he tried so hard to make sure she was happy. He thought Shiori had been doing the same with Souji. He'd just  _assumed_  she was being the mother she'd always dreamed of being when she was younger. Yuudai had changed her, and he didn't even realize it until it was too late. Now, she loved her reputation more than her own son. No matter how much she screamed otherwise, it was obvious where her affections were given. Shit, how couldn't he have seen it sooner?

Cracking open the beer, he started chugging the drink without a second thought, trying to rid his mind of all thoughts and just... relax. He needed to relax. He needed to take Adachi's advice and take care of himself. Getting up, he placed his drink on the table and grabbed the remote to turn the TV off before sauntering back in the kitchen. He didn't feel hungry, but if he made something simple, he wouldn't have to lie to his teammate. A sandwich would do. It took him a couple minutes of looking around the kitchen before he remembered where everything was, cursing at himself as he did so. That just attested to how much he was home—couldn't even remember where the damned bread was.

Sitting back on the couch and munching lazily into his sloppily put-together sandwich, he glanced briefly at the clock. It was almost midnight, and it was still raining outside. He found himself scoffing and chuckling in amusement. Midnight Channel, what a load of crock. Despite himself, he didn't turn the TV back on, instead staring at the blank screen as he slowly ate his meal, stomach twisting in protest at having nothing nearly the entire day. It was taking all he could to keep the food down.

The rain kept drumming on the roof, the pattern and calmness almost enough to lull him back into a sleep on the couch. He found himself drifting off, placing the sandwich next to his beer on the table before he ended up dropping it onto the floor. Rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms, he was about to turn and head upstairs to change into his pajamas before he heard a snap of static.

Slowly moving his hands, he stared in wall-eyed wonder at the TV screen flickering with an image. He hadn't been close enough to the remote that time to accidentally turn it on, and that wasn't the channel he was watching before. He stared—it was all he could do. The TV was emitting a faded, yellow image, but he could see movement until the picture suddenly focused and he inhaled so sharply his chest started to burn.

Souji.

Souji was on the TV.

That made no sense! How was he—wait, what did Adachi say the Midnight Channel was? It would... show something about your future? Souji was there? Would he find him again? No, this was ridiculous. He was imagining things. He was seeing things. He was dreaming.

Hesitantly, he walked around the table and sat right in front of the TV, watching, mystified. It was Souji, there was no doubt about it. It was strange though, his arm wasn't wrapped in a sling and he wasn't in the hospital gown. He was running—away from someone? He could hear Souji's breathing, the footsteps as he ran, the screech as he slid around a corner. He found himself unable to look away, even when his stomach knotted in concern. This wasn't right. This wasn't Souji. It  _couldn't_ be. There was something wrong with his posture, the way his movements were stressed and aggravated, the way his face was contorted in what seemed to be blind rage, it was all foreign and unreal, it didn't seem human _._  But, it looked exactly like him. What was going on?

The camera suddenly shifted, and Dojima could only assume he was looking at an open door from inside a dark room. Souji's silhouette suddenly skidded into view, gripping onto the doorframe as he was barely illuminated from the light in the hallway.

There was a moment, and it felt like he could feel Souji looking at him, despite the fact he couldn't see his nephew's face. He found himself breathing quickly, heart racing and sweat running down his brow as he couldn't look away. Static continued to buzz lazily through the speakers for a pause, until he heard Souji's voice crack through it, sending a chill down his spine.

"I found you."

Then the image faded to black.


	16. Chapter 16

"Good morning, Doji—" Adachi paused as he entered his office, papers stacked in his hands before he walked over to Dojima's desk and set them down harshly. "You look even worse than yesterday! What happened to taking it easy?"

Dojima kept his fingers on his temples, staring off into space as he mumbled, "The Midnight Channel..."

"...Did you... actually try it?" Adachi asked incredulously, "Did it actually work?!"

"You mean you told me without trying it yourself?" He shot the younger man a glare, who scratched the back of his neck and sunk into a nearby chair. He sighed in aggravation, grumbling under his breath about being a guinea pig before he buried his face back into his hands.

"A-Are you okay? What did you see?" Adachi's voice was piqued with curiosity and concern.

"I saw..." He swallowed the lump that formed in the back of his throat, moving his hands to rub his temples again at the oncoming headache. "I saw Souji. He was... running. At first, I thought he was running away from something, but he was too... mad. He was chasing something. He didn't have the sling, he wasn't wearing his hospital gown, and his movements didn't seem human somehow... Then he..."

Dojima paused, taking a glance at Adachi, who's face was twisted in confusion, head cocked to the side. He could see the younger man struggling not to laugh. Scoffing, Dojima found himself shaking his head and chuckling darkly, "Sounds ridiculous, right? Maybe I just fell asleep on the couch and didn't realize it was a dream."

Adachi shrugged, "Hey, who knows! Maybe you did actually see an angry Souji running around. Ooh, do you think he was chasing the kidnapper?"

A chill shot down his spine at the thought of Souji chasing the kidnapper by himself. Adachi did say the Midnight Channel dealt with the future, right? In the... vision, or whatever it was, Souji did say "I found you" before the image cut out. Could that be why? That was something he mulled over for hours without coming up with an explanation—well, he couldn't come up with an explanation for anything he saw, but that had stumped him the most. He couldn't understand why Souji had the need to find someone, and with such urgency and fury. What Adachi said made sense.

His heart skipped a beat in sudden realization. If that wasn't a dream, if that was possibly a vision of the future, that meant they were going to find Souji alive and he was going to recover. He'd have to make sure to keep an eye on him, it wasn't his place to go around chasing criminals.

"Dojima-san, your eyes lit up like a kid at a candy shop. What d—"

The two jumped at Yoshida suddenly slamming the door open, the man breathing heavily, cheeks flushed as he looked to Dojima. He was about to ask what was wrong before Yoshida coughed into his sleeve and held up a hand, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Why weren't you answering your phone...?" he finally managed to stutter out, and Dojima froze before digging his cell out of his pocket.

He'd forgotten to turn it on after Shiori's onslaught of phone calls. Holding down the power button, he watched as the screen started up, oblivious to the conversation between the younger detectives. He stared at the pop-ups saying he had twelve missed calls and three new text messages before finally scrolling through the lists. Three phone calls from Shiori, two from Yuudai, one from Yoshida and six from Yosuke Hanamura. He felt his mouth go dry, shakily leafing to the text messages. They were all from Yosuke.

"i found him"

"pls answer ur phone"

"hes not ok"

They were all sent less than half an hour ago. Sweat rolling down his brow, he jumped from his seat and stared at where Yoshida had been standing, only to notice the man was gone. Adachi glanced at him before nodding to the door.

"I'll drive. I don't think you're up to it right now. Come on," he instructed and left the room before Dojima could add in a word, the man slinging his jacket over his shoulder and shoving his phone in his pocket before dashing after the younger detective. The station was buzzing with the few workers still left inside, pulling files and running to grab something they needed. Adachi and Dojima pushed their way through and out the front doors in record time, Adachi leading Dojima to his car. It was so... small compared to his SUV, but he didn't have time to worry about that as he climbed in the passenger's seat at the younger man's behest. Adachi sped out of the parking lot and Dojima found himself digging his phone back out of his pocket, staring blankly at the texts Yosuke sent.

Six mixed calls from the teen. Shit, he must have been so scared. He felt horrible for forgetting to turn his phone back on. Was Souji back at the antennae on the Junes parking lot? Hanamura said he was "not ok" so that meant he was still alive, that was good. The fact he wasn't okay concerned him. He knew Souji wouldn't be okay no matter the outcome, but how bad was "not ok"? Was he conscious, was he bleeding out, was he incorrigible, was he throwing up, was he coughing up blood, was he delirious, dehydrated, completely unaware of his surroundings?

"Your nephew's one strong kid," Adachi said, hint of a smile on his face. "Finds a corpse, gets kidnapped after getting out of the hospital, comes back from the dead, has a seizure after his apparently-shitty parents arrive, gets kidnapped again, and gets found. Alive this time. He's gonna be okay, Dojima-san. He'll get through this. You'll be there to help him."

He looked to Adachi, suddenly aware of the lines under his partner's eyes, the weariness to his smile. This was taking a toll on him, too. He'd been there every step of the way so far, but it never crossed his mind that it would start affecting Adachi as well. God, he was a terrible friend. At least Adachi knew how to be a good one.

Lowering his head, Dojima stared back absentmindedly at the texts on his screen. His fingers drummed lightly on the phone, the car's engine humming through his ears. Adachi had been there through this entire thing, trying his best to console both him and Nanako, and he'd done nothing to repay the younger man for it.

"Thank you," he murmured, trying to think of how to give a proper thanks later. Maybe he'd take him out to sushi when everything was settled and calmed down—when Souji was safe and recovered.

"Hey, no need to thank me, Dojima-san, it's the truth," Adachi replied, slight hum to his voice before it faded. "We're almost there. You gonna be okay?"

Dojima took a heavy breath before lifting his head, glaring out the windshield as the scene came into view. "Have to be."

The car slowly rolled to a stop and the two climbed out of the vehicle, Dojima shoving his phone back in his pocket as they walked up to the junkyard. Passing by murmuring officers, he noticed something was off. Souji wasn't anywhere to be seen, and Yosuke was sitting on the edge of the back of an ambulance, getting a cut on his face treated by a paramedic. Without missing a beat, he glanced briefly to the junkyard before his heavy steps brought him quickly to stand in front of Yosuke. The teen had a permanent scowl on his face as the paramedic cleaned the wound on his cheek.

"You okay? What happened?" Dojima asked, patting the teen on the shoulder. "And, sorry for missing your calls—phone was off. You must have been terrified. I'm so sorry."

The teen clicked his tongue and looked off to the side, and he thought there was a light blush on the kid's cheeks. "It only got terrifying when I managed to wake him up. Probably not the smartest thing to do. He freaked and grabbed whatever was closest—glass I think—and tried to stab me with it."

Dojima's heart dropped and he looked back over his shoulder to the depths of the landfill. He lightly registered Adachi fluttering around and questioning their teammates that were just standing around. "I'm so, so sorry, Yosuke. Look, if you need anything after we—" he paused when he looked back, his brain freezing, the words dying on his lips.

"Hey, I'll be okay. I don't need anything. I mean, it'd be nice, sure, but I don't need anything." Yosuke shrugged, before sneering as a bandage was put onto the wound. "You gotta go find him though, he ran off after attacking me. I tried to follow him, but I lost him after he ducked somewhere... He's... He's not okay."

"I'll find him. Thank you, Yosuke," he reassured before turning back and finding Adachi waiting for him, handing him a radio the second he stepped into range.

"They got two pairs looking for him. We're the third. Everyone else is just gonna... sit tight in case he comes back here," he explained and Dojima nodded solemnly. He briefly looked at the small droplets of blood marked on the floor as evidence before strapping the radio to his belt loop as they headed further into the junkyard. "This place isn't that big, I'm surprised they haven't found him yet."

Dojima glanced around the discarded trash, which was separated into hazardous piles without a care in the world. Broken TV sets, worn out couches, ripped open garbage bags, destroyed desks, old lamps, everything he could imagine was probably sitting there, wasting away.

"Lots of places to hide," he mumbled, eyeing at the alcoves he could see amidst the piles. "Plus, he's scared and confused. You remember what happened at the hospital."

"Yeah... Kid sure can run, even after slamming his dislocated shoulder into that wall—s-sorry, sir..."

The side-eye he gave Adachi must have came off a little strong, as the man shrunk in demeanour, blinking rapidly as he avoided eye contact. Sighing, Dojima scratched the back of his head, mumbling an apology before he kept glancing around and into any openings within the piles of garbage. He couldn't see any signs of a lead where Souji could be—the blood at the start hadn't led anywhere. It was probably Yosuke's, anyway. Poor kid.

They spent minutes scouring around, passing the other pairs as they doubled over the entire junkyard. Adachi was getting twitchy—hopping around and fidgeting with his hands the longer they looked. His anxiety was starting to wear off on Dojima, the man finding himself playing with his tie, digging his hands through his pockets, and running his fingers through his hair more often than usual. The junkyard wasn't big, but he figured there would have been some semblance of a trace of Souji somewhere. Had the teen got so spooked he dug deep into a pile and couldn't get back out? Was he watching them and avoiding them? None of them had been actively digging through the junk, and a lot of the piles looked precarious—one wrong move and the whole thing would fall.

"Maybe he jumped the fences?" Adachi suddenly piped up after moments of silence after picking himself up from where he was looking into a possible crawlspace.

"The kid can run, Adachi, but I don't think he can climb with one arm. I don't think being terrified will let him jump a f—" he stopped short in surprise as Adachi suddenly clasped a hand over his mouth, looking forward expectantly.

Dojima held his breath, eyeing the surroundings in confusion. Was Adachi just getting agitated and jumpy? He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Even still, he stayed quiet as Adachi brought his hand back down, his teammate looking around slowly. Then, he heard it. Quiet murmurs—cracking whispers and shaking whimpers. Souji was close by. How many times had they passed this place and looked around? Where was he hiding?

He paused when he noticed blood on the ground—it hadn't been there minutes ago, it was fresh. Grabbing Adachi by the elbow, he hoped the younger man caught where he was looking, afraid to point or move or say a word. His eyes followed the trail of blood, swerving an opening under the pile. He could barely see the outline of a desk, buried underneath the rubbish. He could feel someone watching him from under it—could barely see the terrified eyes looking at him.

There was shuffling behind them, and he found himself looking back to see Yoshida and his partner watching them in concern. He motioned at them to be quiet.

"Dojima-san!"

"WHY CAN'T I USE IT?! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

He found himself harshly shoved to the ground, only to look on in horror as he watched Souji drive a piece of glass through Adachi's left shoulder. It felt like the world suddenly slowed to a halt. The look of horror on Adachi's face as the glass drove into his skin—the disoriented wrath embedded in Souji's eyes. He watched as the two both took steps back, the teen glancing at his shaking and bloodied hand, Adachi reaching out to the glass in his shoulder before he crumpled to the floor unconscious. The sound of electricity echoed in his ears, and he could only watch as Souji started to spasm where he stood. For a second, he thought the teen was having another seizure, but the electricity...

He hopped to his feet and knocked the taser out of Yoshida's shaking hands. The man was yelling at him, pointing at Adachi and trying to explain himself, but Dojima heard none of it. He watched as Souji fell limp to the floor, and found himself unable to move as he looked at the two unconscious men.

All he could hear was his pounding heart.


	17. Chapter 17

“Seriously, you're still at it?” Yosuke asked incredulously after watching Chie sulk in the hallway, a student walking away from her annoyed. “I know you said you'd help Dojima-san, but I don't think badgering everyone three times a day is going to get you anywhere.”

He flinched as the girl turned on her heel to glare at him, arms crossed across her chest and cheeks puffed out in anger. Her angry demeanour didn't stay long before it deflated, her shoulders hunched and face forlorn. She didn't even bother giving him a reply, instead just heaving out a heavy sigh before hanging her head.

He could feel the corner of his mouth twitch into a smile. She'd been determined to find info through this whole thing, that was for sure. She really cared about that Narukami's safety. He'd asked customers when he had the chance, but he didn't ask many. There wasn't much information you can get for a person nobody in the town knew. Sure, maybe they knew his name from the news reports, but a name wasn't much to go on, especially if the only place it was known was from the news in the first place.

Chie continued to look downcast as they walked through the halls to the front of the school. He knew she was trying to keep a straight face by acting all energetic, but he knew it was taking a toll on her. Her enthusiasm through the past couple of weeks had really been strained. He had a feeling she'd started looking for Souji herself.

“Okay, enough moping around already,” he sighed, shaking his head, wondering if he was going to regret what he was about to say next. “Look, how about I treat you to a steak at Junes? You gotta promise you won't bother people anymore—seriously, it's the police's job to find him. I don't think you want to get a restraining order from some people, anyway. That guy looked seriously pissed off.”

“A restraining order, seriously? I wasn't asking THAT much!” Chie huffed with a sneer, before a slight blush encompassed her cheeks. “O-Okay maybe... maybe I was asking the same people the same questions a lot, but... I just feel really bad for Souji-kun and Dojima-san, you know? I just want to help out.”

“I think you've helped out enough. There's not much you could have done in the first place,” he shrugged, holding his hands behind his head as they walked outside and past the school gates. “I'm sure Dojima-san really appreciates the help, though. Knowing the guy, he'll probably give you a medal or something when everything's settled down.”

“A m-medal? No way...” she trailed off, face glowing as she was no doubt thinking of receiving an award. “I-I mean, there's no way I'd get a medal just for trying to help out, haha... ha...”

“Yeah, maybe not. Ooh, maybe Dojima-san will be so overwhelmed with gratitude he'll give you a big giant hug and cry!” he snickered, before he faltered at the girl stopping in her tracks, face beet red. His eyes grew wide and he hid his laughter behind his hand, heading farther down the path where he heard her run up to smack him on the shoulder.

“W-What's so funny?!” she fumed, face still tinted with a blush.

“You have a crush on Dojima-san, don't you~?” Yosuke snickered again, receiving another slap to his shoulder.

“I do not!”

They neared the end of the pathway and Chie shoved her hands in her pockets, eyes flickering from Yosuke to the ground before she looked him square in the face. “My dad wants me to do some errands, so I gotta get going. That doesn't mean I'm letting you forget that offer about that steak, though! And... y'know, thanks.”

Before he could get a word in, Chie was already dashing down the sidewalk. Scratching the side of his head, he watched her for a second until he started heading the other way. Errands, huh? Oh, crap! He promised his mom he'd take the busted toaster to the junkyard after school. Man, he really didn't want to, but she'd scold him if he said he forgot. Man, what a pain. He got out of working at Junes, and now he has to do an errand. All he wanted to do was get home and play a video game.

Sighing in agitation, the teen slowly made his way home. Students were still filtering out of school, someone running past him in a hurry while swearing under his breath, a group of girls laughing as they crossed the street. Pursing his lips, Yosuke placed his headset over his ears, digging in his pockets and flicking on his mp3 player as he strolled down the sidewalk. He'd been hoping to catch up with Saki before she power-strolled out of school like usual, maybe have someone to talk to on the way home, but she rushed out with a cluster of students before he had a chance to get close. Then he saw Chie pestering Daisuke if he knew anything about Souji again. He had to hand it to her, she was _really_ dedicated when she put her mind to things. How long had it been? Two weeks? Something like that.

With the music pounding in his ears, he found himself slightly skip-hopping to the beat. His fingers drummed against his small mp3 player in his pocket, head slightly bobbing to the tunes. He could feel a few stray people pass him glances, but most ignored him as he kept heading down the way home. Despite trying not to care, his mind couldn't help but wander to the mystery of Souji Narukami. He was only there for not even a full day of school, and then everything went to hell. A sudden jolt ran up his spine when he recollected overhearing Saki saying that it 'could have been her' when he went to talk to her on break during their shift. That was a day after the assembly had happened. He did know she tended to skip classes sometimes—had she been meaning to skip that day? He froze mid-step, heart suddenly pounding as he felt his skin freeze over. What if it _had_ been her that had been found in the Junes parking lot? Souji was bad enough, but if it _had_ been Saki—Saki, of all people—!

Gritting his teeth and shaking his head, he rolled his thumb harshly over the volume wheel, the music blaring through his headphones as if he was trying to rid the thoughts away with a self-induced headache. Saki was  _fine_ , he didn't have to think like that. Nothing was going to happen to her—the culprit was focused on Souji anyway, why else would he go missing twice?

He faltered, tripping over his feet at his own thoughts. Flailing about until he regained balance by slamming his palm against a nearby wall, he lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. Okay, that wasn't cool. He didn't know the new kid very well, and hadn't been very enthused when Chie practically dragged him to visit the guy at the hospital that one time, but he seemed like an okay person. Yet, here he was, being thankful that Souji had been kidnapped twice instead of something happening to Saki. What a horrible thing to think.

Pushing himself off the wall, he chewed on the side of his lip, scowling at himself the rest of the walk home as his music pounded into his skull. It was an uneventful walk, as always. Not much happened in a small town like this—that reporter's death and Souji's disappearances the only thing actually news worthy. All he heard from the reports when his parents watched it in the morning was... nothing extraordinary. Boring, useless, worthless information that had no reason to be on the news. Who cared about some kid saving a cat from drowning in the river? Good for the fucking kid, but that had no importance anywhere else past his five seconds of fame.

They mentioned Souji once or twice every week, keeping everybody aware that, yes, he was still missing. Nobody did anything about it though—except for Chie. He overheard customers talking about him sometimes at work before they quickly dodged subjects into fits of giggles or “look at this deal”! Maybe he could have visited the guy on his free time, instead of Chie deciding when it was time for him to visit. It was just always so... awkward thinking about it, though. He didn't have much to talk with Souji about, not even with Chie trying to spur them into a conversation. Was he just overthinking everything? Souji hadn't talked much their entire visit, now that he thought about it. He gave very solitary responses to Chie's enthusiasm.

Well, there was no use dwelling on it. Souji was still missing, and could very well turn up dead this time.

...Okay, wow, he needed a filter.

Finally bounding up the steps to home, he quickly unlocked the door and kicked off his shoes. Bounding up the stairs, he threw his book bag onto his bed, mulling over if he should also throw himself onto the bed and have a quick nap before taking the broken toaster to the junkyard. Man, he sure hoped his dad remembered to buy one at the store, and he hoped he wasn't cheap about it. Having to deal with that piece of crap toaster for ten years was all he could handle of crap toasters. Even with his dad being the branch manager, he still went out of his way to be cheap, cheap, and cheap when it came to everything that wasn't a television.

Craning his neck and rolling his shoulders, the teen sighed and decided to throw himself on the bed after he was home after finishing the errand. He didn't want to fall asleep and feel his mother's wrath when she got home, where his dad would automatically assume that he was taking his side in that the toaster “still works perfectly fine”! Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he closed the room to his door as he left and skipped down the stairs in pairs, jamming his hand into his pocket once he reached the landing to turn down the volume on his music player to something more reasonable. He could feel the headache starting.

Getting a quick glass of water when he entered the kitchen, he quickly downed a painkiller with the drink before tiredly shoving the broken electronic under his arm. Sliding his shoes back on when he reached the front, he locked the door behind him and skipped back down the steps, yawning as he started his walk towards the landfill. His steps were light as he skipped along with his music again, fidgeting uncomfortably with the toaster under his arm as he tried to get into a rhythm. Past his music, the streets were quieter. It hadn't been that long since school let out, but everyone dispersed back into their homes pretty quick. He didn't blame them; there wasn't much to do here. He wished he could just be sleeping the rest of the day away instead of throwing away this useless, broken piece of crap.

The rest of the walk was uneventful. The most entertainment he got was kicking a stray rock into a group of birds. Watching them scatter and panic was enough to make him snort for a moment, and then it was back to silently bobbing his head to his music. When the landfill finally came to sight, he was debating if he should just throw it over the fences and leave, before deciding to just enter the place and throw the hunk-of-junk in the smallest pile he could find. Shifting the toaster out from under his arm, he held it in both of his hands as he walked into the junkyard, wrinkling his nose in disgust as the smell hit him fast. It wasn't too bad compared to the landfill they passed by all the time in the city, but it was still pretty horrid.

Skip finding the smallest pile, he was chucking it into the first one he saw and was leaving. Bounding straight towards the junk-heap in front of him, Yosuke tossed the toaster into the pile, watching it slide down before catching on something and stopping. Dusting off his hands, he turned on his heel and paused as something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Slowly, he turned his head, blood running cold at the sight of a body on the ground. Oh god, were they dead?! Did he just find a corpse?!

He could feel his mouth instantly run dry, swallowing harshly as he looked around, as if expecting someone to come over and help him. Maybe the culprit was still here and was going to come over and stab him. Trying to hide the strangled noise of fear that erupted from the back of his throat behind his fist, he continued to look around blindly, removing his headphones and placing them back over his neck. He looked back to the body and swallowed again, finding his hands were trembling uncontrollably as he tried to turn his music off. He glanced around again, the only sound being the distant cawing of a bird. Nothing moved.

Rubbing his arm, he took a hesitant step, wondering if he should just bolt for home and forget he ever saw this... but what if someone saw him leaving? Shit, that'd make him look suspicious. Maybe the person wasn't dead. Observing the body from where he stood, it only took him a moment's realization that he was looking at Souji Narukami. Nobody else in Inaba had such a unique shade of gray to their hair. After taking another hesitant look around the junkyard, Yosuke slowly made his way to Souji's side, the other teen face down in the dirt. Holding his breath, he slowly rolled Souji onto his back. He was pale and covered in bruises. It looked like somebody had tried to strangle him. His feet were cut and scabbed over, like he'd been forced to run over rocks and stuff in his bare feet. He still had the sling on like he had when he'd visited. Was he even breathing? Yosuke couldn't tell—maybe it was the adrenaline at finding a  _body_ making him uncertain. The bruises on Souji's neck though, they were harsh, so harsh he could see the shape of the person's hands on them. That was a good thing, right? The cops would have something to go on when investigating his cause of death.

... _If_ he was dead, of course.

Looking over his shoulder at a sudden chill running down his spine, there was still nobody there. He was alone. Alone with a possible corpse. Another chill shot down his spine, his entire body tense as he looked over Souji again. He didn't want to just... lean down and listen for a heartbeat, that'd be weird, right? This whole thing was weird—it was freaking him out! Unsure of exactly what to do, he shakily reached out a hand and hovered it above Souji's nose and mouth. Maybe it wasn't the best way to check if somebody was alive, but he couldn't find his  _own_ pulse, how was he going to find this guys'?!

Well, it worked, even if it wasn't the proper method of making sure somebody was alive. He could feel Souji breathing onto his hand. Shallow breathing, but breathing. Okay. Not dead. Good, that was good. He brought his hand back to his side, not paying attention as he wiped his palm on the fabric of his pants. Okay, he confirmed Souji was alive, now he had to phone the authorities. Dojima. He didn't have to phone the authorities directly, he just had to phone Dojima. That'd be easy, right? Awkward, but easier than phoning the entire place.

Digging his phone out of his pocket, he surfed through his contacts until he came across the detective's number, punching the call button and placing the phone to his ear. It disconnected him immediately, saying the number wasn't in service. Heart jumping in his chest, he tried again. Disconnected. He tried again and again and again and again before his trembling fingers started to text the man. What the hell?! Was his phone dead?! He said to call him, and now he was, and he wasn't answering his damn phone! What kind of cop didn't have their phone charged?!

There was a strangled gasp and he looked past his phone, body frozen as he watched Souji writhe on the ground in pain. It was only for a second, but it felt like he was watching the other teen for hours before his features relaxed back into neutrality.

Feeling beads of sweat run down his brow, he slowly dialed the number for the authorities and placed his phone to his ear, grabbing his wrist with his other hand to keep from shaking so much. His voice cracked as he spoke to the operator, the woman reassuring and soothing to his jumpy nerves as he tried to explain everything rationally. She kept him informed when the police were notified and on their way, and when she asked if he wanted to stay on the line with her, he found another chill shooting down his spine. Talking with her on the phone, he completely ignored the rest of his surroundings, ignored Souji laying in front of him. What if the culprit was still hanging around and he was completely unaware because he was so focused on the call? Being on the call meant he'd have a witness and the culprit wouldn't bother him if they were still around, but not being aware of his surroundings was starting to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His response came out as a squeak, saying he'd be fine until the help arrived, and he ended the call before she could reply.

Shoving the phone back into his pocket, he glanced around again. Not a movement, not a sound. It was so eerie, and he couldn't help but jump in fear when he suddenly heard birds screaming in the distance. His whole being was on edge, and he could even feel the hairs on his arms standing on end past his sleeves. The whole atmosphere of the junkyard itself wasn't helping matters, broken and discarded objects strewn all over the place, from desks to cabinets to glass tables shattered all over the ground. Trash and TV's with missing buttons or cracked screens, snapped lamps and disgusting and ratty couches. Nothing here screamed anything reassuring, not that the situation was reassuring in the first place. Dammit, all he wanted to do was throw away the toaster and go back home to sleep, and now this shit happens?!

He squealed and jolted to attention when he heard something shift, his shoulders tensing up to rest under his ears as his eyes snapped wide. He relaxed slightly when he realized it'd just been Souji moving, only to tense again when he noticed the other teen's eyes were wide open and unfocused. He wasn't looking around or at anything in particular, just up.

“Hey, N-Narukami-kun,” he stuttered, lightly leaning over the injured teen. “Y-You okay? Do you know wh-where you are?”

Souji didn't stir. He wasn't even blinking. He kept looking up and only up. Was he still unconscious? Was it even possible for an unconscious person to open their eyes? He knew people could pass out with their eyes open—happened to his dad once when he hit his head, it was freaky as hell.

But this... this was just... freakier than hell.

“C-Can you hear me?” he stammered, lightly shaking Souji's good shoulder. “N-Narukami-kun?”

He watched as Souji slowly closed his eyes, before they snapped back open just as fast. He found himself getting pushed back, panic wild in Souji's face and eyes as he struggled to crawl away, whimpering and muttering under his breath. He watched Souji watching him as he crawled backwards, his heels digging into the dirt and grass of the landfill, dirtying his wounded and unclean feet even moreso than they already were. He could hear Souji's panic-filled breaths even as he scooted farther away, pausing when he bumped into the edge of a curio cabinet with a missing door. While Souji surveyed his surroundings like a frightened mouse, Yosuke slowly got to his feet and held his hands out defensively, taking slow, short steps. He froze on the spot when Souji stared him down in dismantled fear.

“H-Hey, it's me! Yosuke Hanamura! I visited you in the hospital with Chie Satonaka, r-remember? T-The police are on the way, man.” He gulped, his mouth and throat feeling like he'd ate nothing but salt. His voice was coming out in peaks and cracks. He didn't know how to deal with this. “Y-You're gonna be fine, okay, dude? It's just me here, and I-I'm not gonna do anything. I can sit way, way, _way_ over there i-if you want me to.”

There was no visible clues to know if he was getting through to Souji or not. The teen just kept  _looking_ at him, every corner of his body trembling, every inch of him covered in unadulterated fear. He kept trying to calm him down, but his voice wouldn't stop cracking and his knees wouldn't stop shaking. Yosuke realized he probably wasn't helping anything with how worked up he was himself, but he couldn't calm himself down. There was something strange, he suddenly realized. Souji was reaching behind him, like he was looking for something; he could see his arm bobbing around before it stopped suddenly. There was silence, and the second Yosuke blinked, he found Souji charging him.

He didn't see clearly what Souji had picked up, but he threw himself out of the way, cursing and falling to the floor as he felt something slice into his cheek. Seething, he cupped his hand to his face, quickly looking up to watch Souji flee deeper into the junkyard. Even though every inch of him was telling him to stay and let the police handle it, he found himself jumping to his feet and chasing after Souji. He could hear Souji questioning stuff that he didn't understand, and then he heard him break out into strangled sobs.

Then he turned a corner that Yosuke hadn't expected him to take, and he lost sight of him, the sobbing ceasing into silence. Staring down the path Souji had ducked into, he waited, listening. He didn't hear anything except squawking birds until the sirens faded into existence, and he found himself walking back to the entrance of the junkyard. His cheek burned; he could feel the blood pooling hot against his hand and through the cracks in his fingers. He realized he wasn't shaking anymore when officers ran up to check if he was all right.

It took a couple more minutes before the ambulance arrived, the paramedics scooting him onto the back of the vehicle as they cleaned up the wound. It wasn't long after he was trying not to flinch away from the stinging sensation of whatever they used to clean the wound that Dojima arrived on the scene. He looked more exhausted than the last time they'd met, harried and looking like he was falling apart at the seams.

They talked for a second, Yosuke unable to help but feel a little guilty for feeling mad when the man couldn't stop apologizing for leaving his phone off. He wanted to accept some sort of compensation, but he knew his mom would probably chastise him for weeks if he did. The right thing to do was reward enough, or whatever...

He watched absentmindedly from the back of the ambulance as the officers muttered and murmured amongst themselves, some sparing him glances as they whispered. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, one of the cops finally stepping up to him and taking him to the side to take a statement and ask questions. His body was still tense, his voice still wobbling on certain syllables as he recounted the event, and he couldn't help but glance into the depths of the junkyard as the questioning went on.

And then he heard static-filled yelling over someone's radio near the entrance of the junkyard, the only words he could catch being 'taser' and 'fucking idiot' past a slew of rushed and disjointed words. The man quickly ducked into one of the cop cars after the call was done. Not even a minute after, he saw Dojima bolting it out of the landfill, Souji limp in his arms. Other cops followed him after, and Yosuke felt his blood run cold again. One of the detectives was out cold, and Yosuke thought he'd arrived with Dojima. He was being carried by another cop, who was struggling not to agitate the giant shard of glass that was jammed into the unconscious man's shoulder.

He found he was trembling again when he brought his hand up to the bandage on his cheek.

 


	18. Chapter 18

“Look, just calm down and—”

“Calm down?! You want me to _calm down_?!” he hissed, whirling around on his heel after the ambulance rushed out of the area. The paramedics had placed Souji on the stretcher, strapping Adachi to the bench in the back. He thought he saw Adachi move his head before the doors closed and the vehicle was speeding away. The moment Souji had been taken from his arms, he'd started berating Yoshida, and now the guy was telling him to _calm down_?!

His steps were harsh as his body trembled in fury, hands clenched tightly as he towered over his co-worker. Yoshida shrunk, face paling.

“W-What was I supposed to do?!” he squeaked. “He attacked Adachi!”

“You could have done anything but tase him!” he bellowed, digging his fists into his thighs as he struggled to keep his trembling temper under check. “For God's sakes, Yoshida, what if that had been one of your relatives?! Would you have tased them then?!”

“W-Well, no, b—”

“So then why would y—”

“ENOUGH!”

He faltered, turning to look as his superior stalked towards them. Stepping between them, he focused on Dojima and lightly shoved him to take a step back, both of them staring each other down.

“Sir, Yoshida used excessive force on a mentally unstab—” he stopped when his superior lifted a hand, pursing his lips tightly as they continued to glare at each other. He wasn't going to like what was about to be said.

“From what Nishimura was telling me as you squabbled like a _child,_ ” The man spit on the last word, scoffing, “If you had been paying any attention, you would have noticed your nephew trying to _kill_ you. Adachi saved your ass. Nishimura feels Yoshida acted accordingly—you just said it yourself, your nephew is unstable. Who knows what else he might have done had Yoshida not acted.”

He felt his lip and eyebrow twitch in anger, nostrils flaring as he took a deep breath. “Sir, Souji only had the glass shard, he had nothing t—”

“He could have grabbed one of your guns. He could have grabbed Adachi's gun—he fainted on the spot, right? You would have taken a moment to get off the ground, Yoshida and Nishimura wouldn't have been able to get there before he grabbed the weapon. Hell, he could have even ripped the glass right out of Adachi's shoulder. How would you have liked to be covered in his blood, hm? I'm sure that's driving deep into some artery. One wrong move in surgery and we may be out a detective permanently.”

“Sir, th—”

“I'm taking you off the case.”

His heart dropped at the statement, and he could hear nothing but the whispers and murmurs surrounding him. Everyone was looking at him. The world had been lifted from his shoulders, only to drag him down with a chain.

“You can't...” He heard someone say, barely recognizing his own voice as it came out so frightened. “Sir, you can't—I need to—I can't—You _can't_!”

“And, since you didn't take any time off last year either, I'm forcing you to take your vacation.” The man spoke with a sneer, before his expression slowly fell into one of empathy as he pat Dojima on the shoulder. “Twenty days of paid vacation, no arguing or I'll write you up. You're losing your own mind at this rate, Dojima. I can't risk the chance of losing both you and Adachi at once. You're not going to take one single step into the office the entire time you're gone, do you hear me? It'll be tough as shit, but we can make do without you two temporarily.”

His mind swam in circles, and it felt like he was floating and sinking all at once. He could only hold his mouth agape, staring at his superior as unintelligible sounds echoed out from the back of his throat. Words and sentences scrambled in a frenzy in his head, and he tried to piece something together, anything coherent, anything to get his boss to change his mind. He couldn't; the fragments of sentences died behind his teeth, and he could only shake his head slowly as he looked around at all the other officers. They were all standing around, watching and murmuring, some avoiding his gaze as he looked to them. Did they actually agree with this?! Did they actually agree that he should get taken off the case?! If he was taken off the case... If any of them slacked off... If he wasn't there...

“Sir, you can't— _!_ ” his voice cracked in desperation as he turned back to his superior. “You don't understand! I can't leave another case c—”

“That's not what's happening, Dojima. Enough of this. Your vacation starts early—you get the rest of the day off. Or, first, escort that kid home, get whatever you want from your desk, and go home. If I hear you went back to the office for anything other than a coffee mug or something, you're not gonna appreciate me. So, leave, we have a crime scene to investigate.”

With a wave of dismissal, Dojima watched dejectedly as his superior turned and walked away, pulling Yoshida off to the side and ending the conversation. He stood in place, trying to collect his thoughts. His thoughts were racing a mile a minute, every nerve in his body tense, every limb feeling weighted, yet light. Too much had happened in such a short span of time, the events running around in his head as he tried to make sense of it. There was no sense to it. None of this made sense. Nothing made sense! Yamano's death, Souji's first kidnapping and near-death experience, Souji's second disappearance, getting taken off the case—it didn't make sense! He had to be there to _make it_ make sense! He had to be...

What made even less sense was the fact it started raining. That's what he told himself anyway, wiping his eye with the palm of his hand. Slowly waving Yosuke over as he started to leave the scene, he heard the teen slide into step beside him and he tried to straighten his posture. He tried to ignore the stinging in his eyes, the blurred vision, the tears that fell as he blinked.

“Are you okay?” he asked as they walked under the police tape and down the pathway. Dojima glanced briefly at Adachi's car as they walked by, wondering what would happen to it. Hopefully they'd get it towed back to the station.

He could see Yosuke fidgeting out of the corner of his eye as they passed the vehicle. “I should be asking you that; they really dropped a bomb on you. I'm real sorry, Dojima-san. Maybe if I hadn't tried... waking Narukami-kun, he wouldn't have freaked, and none of this would have happened.”

“Hey, you don't get to be sorry,” he glanced over, the teen tensing under his gaze. “None of this was your fault, Yosuke. If I had remembered to turn my phone on, maybe I could have arrived before he broke down and...” he trailed off, letting out a deep sigh as he slowly dragged his palms over his eyes again.

“Sorry to be blunt, Dojima-san, but I don't think anything was getting through to him,” Yosuke mumbled. “It was like he was looking at me like I was some kind of... monster. I don't even know if he understood a word I was saying. He just looked... lost.”

Yosuke's voice faded, and Dojima could tell the teen wanted to say more, but was deciding against it. He uttered another apology to the teen, and he could feel Yosuke sparing him a hesitant glance until the atmosphere shifted into silence. He wanted to ask something to ease the tension, but all he could think of was to ask how school was going. Kid would probably just shrug and say 'fine' and that'd be the end of that. Scratching the nape of his neck, he sighed lightly; everything felt disjointed, he barely even realized how far they'd walked in the silence. His mind was still reeling, and his chest felt compressed. Too much had happened in too short of time. Way too much.

“I can walk the rest of the way, Dojima-san. My place is in the opposite direction of the police station, and I don't wanna be a bother or anything,” Yosuke commented, hands placed tentatively on the headset around his neck as if he were going to put them on immediately after.

“Are you sure? Your parents might be concerned about that cut. I can explain what happened.”

The teen shrugged. “They're both at work. Seriously, I can get home fine from here.”

Dojima faltered, holding his breath for a moment before he let out another sigh, grim smile on his face. “All right. Stay safe, Yosuke.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yosuke gave him a curt bow before turning on his heel and placing the headphones over his ears, jamming his hands into his pockets as he walked away. Dojima stared after him for a moment, noticing how rigid the teen's form was. He hoped the poor kid didn't have nightmares...

His walk alone to the station felt like a blur. It felt like it went on forever, yet, at the same time, like it went by so quickly. He found himself staring at the doors to the building, just staring at them and looking in. He found he couldn't move, his feet turned to cement and his entire body frozen in response. Not a thing went through his mind; all he could do was stare.

“Dojima-san, I just went to look for you! You must be fast on your feet, mister,” he turned listlessly, watching as Hamasaki climbed out of her vehicle, tripping on her way out as she slammed the door closed. She jogged up to his side and placed a delicate hand on his arm. “I wasn't told what happened. All I know is you're starting your vacation and I was told to drive you to the office but I had to find you first, and I couldn't find you and I thought, 'Well, I should have phoned him first before I went on a wild goose-chase'. Then, I thought about seeing if you were at home, but, then I was curious, because I saw your SUV still in the lot when I left, and Adachi's car is gone and-and-and what's going on? Is everything okay?”

He blinked slowly, the woman's eyes glowing with confusion. He found himself unable to speak, the woman's hand quickly travelling down to his hand to drag him into the building and through the office.

“It's not talk-about-it-outside material, I get it. Office we go; long story we go. Should I get coffee? I should probably get coffee. Maybe I don't need coffee, I just had some. Will you need coffee? You look exhausted. You probably need coffee.”

“Hamasaki.”

“How did you like it? Black with two sugars and like this oddly specific amount of cream? No, wait, that was Adachi. You liked it... just black? Two creams?” she squinted at him as she turned, as if examining for the answer in his face. “Threeeee sugars?”

“Hamasaki, I don't need any coffee.” That came out more commanding than he'd wanted it to. The woman hummed in thought, nodding slowly. They continued their journey in silence, before he squinted as they continued through the bustling station. “I thought you were still looking after your daughter. I didn't think broken legs healed that fast.”

Hamasaki gave a short laugh. “They don't. Miwa's father heard what happened and came by to visit for the week. The marriage didn't work out, but at least he's still a good father and friend. Anyway, they both ushered me to come back to work so I didn't get too stir-crazy. I don't get stir-crazy. Do I get stir-crazy? Nah.”

Before he could respond, she dragged him into his office and practically shoved him into his chair before sitting on the one opposite of his desk.

“Okay, we're here,” her tone shifted considerably, body language professional as she eyed him wearily. “What happened? I thought you were saving your vacation time?”

“I was, but—” he sighed and buried his head in his hands, scratching his scalp as he held back the choking sob that threatened to cascade through his body. “They took me off the case and forced me to take the twenty days off.”

He didn't look up, but he could feel Hamasaki's astonished gaze focused on him. There was a moment as he could tell she was trying to think of what to say.

“We found Souji at the landfill,” he said before she could figure out a comment. He relayed the story, taking deep breaths beneath sentences as he collected his thoughts and tried to calm his shaking nerves. Recollecting it wasn't any better. If Adachi hadn't shoved him out of the way, and if neither of them had noticed Souji charging, his nephew was likely aiming to kill. If Adachi hadn't shoved him out of the way...

“Dojima-san, what happened? What did your nephew do?” Hamasaki questioned at his pause, and she had scooted her chair closer in order to gently place a reassuring hand on his arm.

He felt his lip quiver as a sharp breath shot through his lungs as he tried to quell it. The words came out strained and he sounded foreign to himself again.“He tried to kill me.”

“Oh my God... Dojima-san, I...”

“Adachi pushed me out of the way. He saved my life... Yoshida panicked and used his taser on Souji... I guess I flipped out once the ambulance left with the two of them.” His vision blurred over again, pursing his lips tightly to try to stop the trembling. He tried his best to ignore the sobs accumulating in his chest, the tears falling on his desk.

It was raining in his office, that's all it was.

Hamasaki didn't say anything, gripping tightly onto his arm but silence was the only thing shared between them otherwise. There was a quiet knock on the door, but he didn't bother to look up.

“S-Sorry to interrupt, but uh, the boss just paged and said if Dojima-san's still here when he gets back in... like... twenty minutes, uh... Yeah... Just... just so you know.”

The door closed with a quiet click and Dojima slowly raised his head, pulling his arm away from Hamasaki's as he leaned back in his chair, looking to the ceiling before digging the heels of his palms against his eyes. He could hear the woman shift in her chair, clearing her throat softly as the clock ticked in the background.

“I guess we should... get you all packed up for vacation, Dojima-san,” she mumbled, and he could hear her fumbling with a couple of objects on his desk. “Is... is there anything I can help you get?”

He didn't move from his position, the answer barely a thought before it spilled out of his mouth. “Make me a copy of the case files.”

He didn't need anything else from the office. Hamasaki offered him a ride home, but he declined, waiting for her to slowly make her way back into the station before he wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He sat in his vehicle for a moment, just trying to collect himself, trying to ignore the images of Souji being electrocuted and of Adachi collapsed on the floor out of his mind. He had to take his mind off it, think of something to do. He would go home, that'd be a start. Maybe he could take Nanako to Junes before telling her what happened. A little shopping trip to try and dull the news he'd have to give her. Then, he'd... go to the hospital.

...It was as good a plan as he was going to get.

Dragging his hands down his face, he started the vehicle. He sat in the sound of the stuttering engine as he looked onto the road, flexing his fingers around the wheel as he watched a couple of vehicles pull into the parking lot. When he saw Yoshida step out of his car in the rear-view mirror, he finally pulled out of his space and sped out of the lot. The car ride was filled with nothing but the hum of the engine, his hands gripping so tightly onto the steering wheel that he could see them turning white out of his peripheral vision. He did nothing to rectify the situation, even when he found himself parked outside of his house, he sat there, hands numb from the pain. Slowly, he cracked his fingers off the wheel, flexing them hesitantly as he turned the SUV off. He took another quaking breath, staring out the windshield at nothing in particular. It was all he could do for what he was certain had been hours.

Finally, he grabbed his coat from the passenger's seat, fingers brushing against the file that he could feel tucked under it. He jumped at how harshly he slammed the door, bowing his head as his footsteps felt like lead, feeling like he was being dragged closer and closer to the ground, like gravity just didn't want him to stand anymore.

Digging his keys out of his pocket, he scowled at the pain and resistance as he struggled to fit the key in the lock. He finally managed to get it in when he heard an audible click from the other side, the door opening with Nanako staring at him in wonder and surprise.

“Dad!” she giggled, hugging him at the waist. “What're you doing home? It's so early!”

It hit him like a hammer. Souji had tried to kill him. Adachi had saved his life. If Adachi hadn't intervened, he would have left Nanako all alone... He would have left Nanako all alone, and Souji would probably have been given the death sentence. He would have left Nanako all alone. Souji tried to kill him. Adachi saved his life. Adachi saved Nanako's life. Adachi saved his life. Souji tried to kill him.

He fell to his knees, the concrete scraping into his skin as he pulled his daughter into a hug, holding her as physically close as he possibly could. She mumbled in confusion, questioning why he was crying. He heard thunder in the distance.

 


	19. Chapter 19

He fell harshly, just like last time, his legs flipping over his head as he rolled, the IV stand slamming next to him with a resonating echo. Letting out a strangled cry as he flipped onto his back, he found it hard to catch his breath as it ended up turning into a harsh and painful cough. Pain was bleeding through every nerve and limb, body pulsing and world spinning while he lay there dazed. He could faintly hear the gurgling, the inhuman noises of those _things_. He could hear them and they were getting closer.

He took it back, this wasn't real! Oh, God, don't let it be real! It was just another hallucination! He was fast asleep in the hospital bed, and he was going to wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP! Shutting his eyes tightly, he slapped himself as hard as he could from his position. He could still hear them. He tried again. Again. Again. They were still there. They were getting even closer. They were almost on top of him. He wasn't waking up.

Ignoring the stinging in his face from the self-inflicted harm, he struggled to push himself up, finding his body failing him and sending him back to the floor in a heap. Coughing and heaving, he opened his eyes, tears overflowing and falling down his cheeks as he watched the monsters inch in. There weren't as many as the first time, there was nowhere near as many, but the _sounds_ they made made it feel like there was just as much. He lay there, coughing and wheezing and sobbing to himself as a couple of the monsters hovered over him. He could feel one at his feet, sliding over and burning the flesh it came in contact with. One of the things looked down at him with harsh, red, beady eyes, tiny claws grabbing onto his face and pulling.

He hollered and shut his eyes, squirming uncomfortably, but otherwise making no effort to move. The thing at his feet squealed an unholy sound and dug it's claws into the bottom of his foot. The one by his face echoed the screech, a claw moving from his cheek to grab onto his lip, and he could feel the monster's hand piercing through. Blood started seeping through the wound and down his throat, the teen gagging as he sobbed and tried not to choke on the blood. Fires seared through his bones, crackling scratches and static crawling up his veins as the monsters poked and prodded with their claws. It felt like he was boiling; the heat rising high into his cheeks, nose running and entire being pulsing. They were crawling all over him, their bubbling flesh burning and searing his as they explored his body. The sensation was littered across his entire being, disorienting his senses, taking a couple of stressed and excruciating minutes before he realized that there was only two of the monsters.

When one of them tried to push his eyelid up, he screeched and ripped it off with his good arm, heart racing and hand boiling as it sunk into the horror's form. His eyes snapped open as he watched the monster fly when he let go as he whirled it away, and he quickly sat up when the other one gripped onto his leg in a fury. Screaming again, he tried swatting at it, unable to reach it as it ducked away to his foot, hissing demonically. Without a thought, he reached for the IV stand, pulling it close by tugging on the cord until he felt the stand roll to his side, where he gripped so tight he could feel his fingers stiffen immediately.

It took a couple of uncontrolled swings before he managed to make contact with the monster, hitting his knees and the floor instead. The metal pierced through the unidentifiable entity, the thing squealing and bubbling furiously as it backed away. Through the corner of his eye, he could see the other one returning. Their gurgling sounds were getting louder—more furious and inhuman. Panic overloading his system, he sputtered as he tried to rid of the blood pooling into his mouth, slamming the stand back onto it's wheels as he fumbled to use it as leverage to pull himself up. It started to roll to the side and he found himself dragging along with it, struggling to push his shaking legs enough to get him to stand.

Coughing and sobbing as he fell back to the floor, his forehead smacking on one of the legs of the stand. Spots danced in his vision after the impact, the world spiralling out of his control as he hazardously propped himself up on his elbow to vomit on the floor, the bile sending shock-waves of pain through the injuries in his mouth, which only caused his stomach to lurch and make him vomit again. He couldn't breathe—through the crying and the vomiting and the coughing and the pain and the panic—he couldn't breathe. He was hyperventilating. He wanted to wake up. Please, he wanted to wake up. He wanted to go home.

It was better than here.

At one of the things piercing his leg, pain soared up into his spine, and he found himself vomiting once more before he turned to try to kick the monstrosity off. Despite feeling light-headed, despite the hyperventilating, despite the tears and the pain, he wasn't going to give up until his body made him. He was getting out of here again. He did it the first time... somehow. He... He didn't know how, but... somehow!

Somehow...

When he flung the screeching monster off of his foot, his grip tightened on the metal pole, everything against him as he pushed himself to the limits to get to his feet. He blinked, and everything went black, he could feel himself stumbling forward until his abdomen collided against the edge of a short wall. Sucking in a deep breath and blinking, the world buzzed back into place. Everything was fuzzy and disjointed, and he couldn't tell his hand from the IV stand. He leaned against the wall, his upper half teetering precariously over the edge as he tried to recollect himself. He had to go. He was on his feet, right? He had to go. He had to find somewhere safe.

He had to get out of here...

Swallowing harshly, he shuddered at the blood and bile that mixed together down his throat. He had to calm down. Calm down and get out of here. Probably easier said than done, but, he had to do it. He didn't want to die here from his idiocy. He wanted to leave. He wanted to get better. He wanted to talk to Chie at school instead of in a hospital. He wanted to take his cousin to a park or playground. He wanted to see if his uncle had any fishing equipment so they could go in the summer. He wanted to leave here. He wanted to live.

God, just let him live.

Pushing himself away from the boundary, he stumbled backwards as his feet bled and recoiled from the injuries. He was still burning up—he could feel the sweat covering his entire body, the hospital gown sticking to him like glue. Everything was still spinning, and he realized he was seeing doubles in his washed out view. His breathing was still coming out laboured and quick, his body trembling uncontrollably. He heard one of the monsters gurgling close to his right, so he ran to the left.

He was pushing himself, and he was pushing himself hard. His vision was clouding over black far more than he cared for, the darkness enveloping his vision for seconds before he blinked and brought it back. He stumbled, his knees knocking and falling under the stress of the situation, and he found himself dragging himself along as he pushed the IV stand in front. His throat burned as he coughed and gagged, the blood dripping hot into his mouth and down his chin, falling onto the metal as he heaved over the stand. He continued on for what felt like hours. He didn't hear the monsters behind him. Had they given up? Or could he just not hear anything past his haggard breathing and racing heart and pounding headache?

Even though he couldn't hear any immediate danger, he kept dragging himself along the ground. He couldn't feel his legs anymore, wheezing and coughing taking up the oxygen he wasn't getting enough of. His fingers were starting to loosen around the IV stand, and he could do nothing but watch as it rolled away from his grasp, stopping before it started to tug on the drip still taped in his hand. He placed his head to the floor, the coolness of it short-lived as his face burned it away quickly. He let out a final sob as he felt everything slip away, vision cutting back out to black... and then it faded into blue.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.”

A rush of cold air fell over him, deep breaths taken as oxygen filled his craving lungs. His eyes snapped open, hand gripping tightly onto the seat he was sitting on as he looked around at his surroundings. Everything was such a radiant blue, elegant and grand. Lush carpet, leather seats, tinted windows, mini-bar, the eerily calming sound of a piano playing softly from speakers he couldn't see... was he in the back of a limousine?! How did he get here?! It took him a moment before he noticed he wasn't alone; and he wondered how he could have missed the obvious people sitting right in front of him. A man with bulging eyes, a large nose, and a terrifying grin was sitting next to a woman with a mature face and shining, platinum hair. The man leaned forward, hands folded under his nose as he looked at him. He found himself unable to speak a word, confusion clouding his vocabulary into silence.

“My name is Igor, and I am quite pleased to finally make your acquaintance,” the man spoke with a slight laugh to his tone. “We've been trying to contact you for some time now.”

The man chuckled. It was short-lived and he didn't understand what was so funny, but he couldn't find it in himself to ask. He was petrified with confusion—where he should be demanding how he got here, asking where he was, he instead sat and listened. It was cool in here, the song playing quietly in his ear oddly soothing. Despite the strangers, despite the unknown atmosphere, he felt... safe in this world of blue.

“It seems not every destiny starts out as the cards predict,” he heard Igor mumble in amusement, and he couldn't help but tilt his head to the side. Cards...?

He noticed the woman shift in her seat, lifting her head from where she was looking to a book on her lap and turning to give him a warm smile. “Welcome. I will be accompanying you on your journey. You may call me Margaret.”

Journey? What journey? The confusion kept hitting him in circles, butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he looked between the two before him. His mind was overwhelmed by the sheer number of questions that piled and piled inside, his mouth shut tightly as he tried to process them and ask one. He couldn't—he found it impossible. There was too much he wanted to know, too much he wanted to question. They just kept looking at him, and he thought he could feel Igor's expression soften, even though it didn't look like the man's features had changed in the slightest.

“You see, this realm exists between mind and matter,” the man started, hovering a hand above the table in front of him. There was a slight glow, a deck of cards appearing from the light before spreading on the table in a hexagonal shape. “It separates dreams from reality. Generally, only those who have signed a contract may enter this room.”

With a wave of his hand, the two cards on the bottom of the hexagon flipped over. He found himself looking at the cards, unsure of what they meant. Certainly there was a significant meaning to them, but what it was, he had no idea. Mind and matter? Dreams from reality? Contract? Igor was speaking as though this was all common knowledge, but none of it made any sense. With another wave of his hand, the cards dispersed into light, Igor giving another light laugh while he looked on in confused amazement.

“In the very near future, perhaps, such a journey will be waiting for you as well.”

“Let's hope,” Margaret spoke softly. “Your journey will be quite interesting, at the very least. Until our paths cross again...”

“Farewell.”

He wanted to jump up and ask all the questions whirling around in his mind, but his vision clouded over black and the coolness was gone, the music clicking off and heat and sweat cornering his body. Something was poking him. Heaving in a giant breath, he opened his eyes quickly and pushed the thing away out of instinct. There was something odd. He looked at what he had pushed, the entity squeaking as it flailed, trying to regain it's balance. A... bear mascot? Is that what he was looking at?

Rubbing his eyes, he blinked and squinted at the bear as it regained it's composure. It stared at him sadly. What an advanced costume—it even had facial expressions.

“Well that was rude,” it said. Its mouth wasn't moving. “I was just trying to make sure you were okay, and you push me away.”

“I-I-I'm sorry?” It came out as a question instead of an apology. He found himself wincing as his throat burned, the blood trickling from the wound in his lip as he spoke. “W-Where is this? Where am I? What are you? Can you get me out of here? Please, please, I just want to go home.”

The bear's eyes flickered into shock, the mouth disappearing completely with the expression. “Wait, you don't know where you are? But, you came here bearfore, I recognize your scent! Why did you come back?”

“I didn't _want_ to! I didn't know I _could_!” This was ridiculous, he was arguing with a mascot. Who apparently knew his scent. That was really creepy, actually. “Those... those _things_ just grabbed me and dragged me in here! I don't... I don't want to be here! Can you help me leave?!”

“Things? Do you mean the Shadows?” it questioned, ears perking up as it looked around. “They've been quiet lately. When you first got here, they were beary upset. I thought you were gonna start causing trouble again, so I came to check up on you!”

There was a slight pause before the mascot jumped in realization and its expression turned angry, the thing stepping towards him and poking him in the chest with its paw. “You must have been the one who threw the first person in here! You're the culprit! You're ruining my home!”

Swatting the bear's paw away, he scowled. This thing was different from the... Shadows. It seemed just as confused as he did, but that didn't make the sudden accusation any less annoying. Wait... first person? Someone else had been in here? Wait, that didn't matter; he just needed to get out of here!

“Culprit? I just told you, those things dragged me in here! The Shadows!”

The bear tensed. “Oh. Right.”

Sighing, he bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. At least his breathing had calmed considerably from what he could only assume had been minutes ago. Maybe it had been hours, he wasn't sure. His head still pounded, his legs and feet still pulsed, his lip spewing drops of blood every time he spoke, but everything was better than before. He could deal with this... for now.

“Please, if you can just... if you know how to get me out of here, I won't come back ever again,” he pleaded, trying to shift himself into a comfortable sitting position. He had some strength back, that was good. “I just want to forget any of this ever happened. Please...”

The bear's expression changed to something that he assumed was neutrality. “I can help you leave. We'll have to move somewhere else, though, there isn't a beary good signal here.”

Signal...? Blinking slowly in confusion, he hesitantly allowed the bear help him get to his feet, the mascot picking up and putting the IV stand upright afterwards. The bear wheeled the metal pole closer, before stopping and started sniffing it curiously.

“This smells funny. You didn't have anything that smelled like this with you the first time you came here,” it mused, before its ears flattened against its head. “Then again, you did have Shadows surrounding you the moment you entered. I wanted to help you, but I was beary scared.”

“You wanted to help me...?” he parroted, ignoring the fact the mascot apparently had a tendency to smell everything.

“Of course! Strange things have been happening here lately, and I could hear you screaming for help. What kind of bear would I be if I didn't help those in need?” The bear placed his paws on his waist triumphantly, seemingly forgetting the fact he'd just accused him of being a culprit moments ago. It's eagerness didn't last long before he deflated into nervousness. “There was just so beary many Shadows chasing you the first time, I couldn't do anything! When I smelled you again, I was nervous. I could sense that you died when you left last time, like the first person. I thought maybe it was just the Shadow you that started wandering around when you left, but he smells a little different.”

“Shadow... me...?” He mentioned a 'first person' again, but he couldn't help but focus on those two words instead. Shadow... him? Was that what _that_ was? The double with the lightning eyes? What did that mean? What _was_ a Shadow? Why did the other _Shadows_ have such odd and undefined forms? What _was_ this bear? What _was_ this place?!

Before he could ask the mascot anymore questions, the bear jumped in a panic and ran behind him, forcefully pushing him forward. “The Shadows are coming! Hurry, hurry! Follow me!” he hollered, before dashing ahead.

“Wait!” he yelled after the bear, who was quick to run out of his sight. He looked over his shoulder, fear running down his spine as he saw multitudes of the beady eyes in the distance, the gurgling growing louder. Shit, shit, shit, shit!

Feet still pulsing from the attack earlier, he struggled to get a start as he pushed the IV stand along with him. His limbs were still reluctant to run, but they weren't forcing him to the floor with every step. He thought he was actually making good speed, considering everything, until he lost his footing and stumbled over the wheels of the IV stand, crashing to the floor in a roll. Gritting his teeth and breathing heavily through his nostrils, he ripped the drip out of his hand with his teeth without a second thought. Spitting it out and biting his tongue to stop himself from screaming, he quickly scrambled back to his feet, ignoring the blood pooling out of the wound on his hand.

He was going to be fine, fine, fine. That bear was going to help him get out of here. He was going to be fine. Just fine.

Calling out to the bear as he continued to run, he didn't receive a response. All he could hear was his echoing shouts and the distant gurgling from the Shadows behind him. He kept running, clenching his fist into a tight ball in the hopes of stopping the bleeding for a little bit. He could feel it gushing out with every heartbeat, the wound in his lip agitated from ripping the cord out and bleeding profusely again. He had to ignore it. He was going to be fine. Fine. Fine.

“Hey! Over here! Hurry!”

Before he could look to his right where he heard the bear's voice coming from, a hand roughly grabbed onto the collar of his hospital gown and yanked him away. He heard a slam as he was forcefully thrown to the floor, rolling until he came to a stop on his back. Quickly pushing himself into a sitting position, he looked around, his chest hurting as he panicked. It was his house. He was alone.

He knew he wasn't alone.

Jumping to his feet, he ran to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. Pausing for a brief second, he fiddled with the lock and tried again. The door wouldn't budge. He started banging on it, calling for the bear to help. Jumping in surprise when the doorknob started to shake, he thought he could hear the windows cracking, the walls thumping, the room blotting out in darkness. He didn't look. He didn't want to look. No, no, no. He was going to be fine, fine, fine.

“The door's locked!”

It was muffled, but he could hear the fear in the bear's voice. The hot flashes of the first experience faded quickly, and he tried calling out to the mascot, only to hear a tapping on the window in the living room. He turned quickly, the bear peering into the house. The windows! He never thought to try to escape through the windows! Rushing over, he jumped onto the couch so hard it smacked back into the wall, teetering as he tried to open the window with just one arm. He lightly flexed the fingers still encased in the sling, cursing as he couldn't figure out a grip with his one hand. After a moment of struggling, he realized that the window was stuck in place, just like the door. He glanced to the bear before jumping off the couch, grabbing the remote off the nearby counter and throwing it at the glass. It didn't make a dent.

The bear had jumped back in surprise at the action, but then he started freaking out, arms waving frantically and face stuck in panic. There was no time for him to react before curtains fell from the ceiling and blocked out the windows. He was about to run and push them out of the way, only to freeze on the spot at a cool breath tickling his neck, shivers crawling under his skin as he felt a pair of hands slowly creeping around his neck.

“Mm, that's very strange,” he heard himself say. “Souji Narukami... why are you still alive?”

He could only let out a terrified whimper as the fingers started to put pressure around his neck. His Shadow self leaned to the side, his cold breaths tickling his ear.

“Worthless things are better off dead.”

 


	20. Chapter 20

He escaped. In a haze of panic, he managed to escape from his Shadow's grip on his neck. He bolted up the stairs and froze for a split second—he'd been expecting the familiar layout of his house, not an extended hallway with corridors and more rooms than should be logically possible. What  _was_  this place?

When he heard the steps creak at the landing, he ran again. Some doors rattled as he ran by, some he thought he could hear the muffled crying of a child, and others he thought he could hear agonized yelling and fights. Skidding as he rounded a corner, he didn't dare look back as he heard the harsh footsteps from his double. He was gaining on him fast, and Souji was finding it hard to breathe again. He froze. Shit, shit, shit, he picked a dead-end—there was only one room to go in, shit, shit, shit.

The footsteps were getting closer, and he quickly dashed into the room, hoping the shadow wouldn't round the corner. He found himself holding his breath as he observed his surroundings. He was in his parents' room, there was no doubt about it, but it seemed... bigger, somehow. Distorted. All the pictures adorning the room, his face was scribbled out. There was writing plastered over the walls.

_why don't they love me_

_because im worthless_

They repeated and intermingled, some of them etching into the furniture or onto the photographs. A lump rose in his throat at the sight, tears stinging his eyes before he jumped at the sound of footsteps flying down the hall. Quickly, he ducked into the closet... or, at least, he'd tried to; the doors wouldn't budge. How could he have forgotten to close the door to the room itself?! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Jumping when the Shadow slammed his hand onto the door frame, he backed up to the wall behind him, sliding to the floor in fear. Horrified whimpers were the only thing he could do as his double looked at him with nothing but malice in his yellow eyes.

"I found you," he hissed, ripping his nails across the door frame with such force that he could see scratch marks etching the wood.

Souji couldn't move, watching as the copy stepped forward. He could hear the venom in the Shadow's breathing, see the menace in his eyes as he stood over him. His joints locked, and all he wanted to do was try to trip or push the monster away, but he was frozen. Useless, worthless, nothing. He put up a fight only to lose it seconds later without any punches being landed. He really was worthless. He could feel his chest bubbling in pain and anxiety, tears back to rolling freely down his face. The copy straddled him, leaning in close enough that he could feel his breath tickling his lips. His Shadow's eyes bore into his with such intensity that he could see them clearly past his overflowing tears.

Until he shut his eyes when the double slammed his head against the wall, hands quickly travelling to his neck and squeezing hard. He struggled briefly, dragging his heels against the floor as he tried to push himself backwards, not that he could go anywhere. His copy was filled with nothing but unbridled rage, different from the fluctuating emotions that it had shown in the first encounter. He wanted to beg and plead, asking it to let him go, but the fingers merely dug into his skin tighter, and he was choking and gagging and crying. It was starting to feel like he couldn't do anything else anymore.

Feebly, he lifted his good arm and pushed it onto the Shadow's face, in the vain hope of getting him to let go. He could feel the copy bare his teeth, growling like some kind of animal. He felt his hand slide off the Shadow's face and to the floor before everything faded.

The next thing he knew, he was running through the halls, tears and snot covering his face as he screamed and hiccuped. It wasn't a scream of fear and desperation, it was just one of pain. He was cradling his left hand as he ran. He could feel something warm trickling past his fingers. It was blood. He was going to bleed out and he was going to die _!_  Bursting into his parents' study, he froze in the doorway as his dad didn't even turn in his chair to spare him a glance. He stood there, hiccuping and sobbing, his legs weak and trembling as he waited for acknowledgement of any kind from his father. The man sighed in agitation after what felt like hours, and he could see his shoulders slump as he leaned forward onto his desk.

"What do you want? I'm busy."

"I-I-I-I c-cut my hand!" he wept, fingers trembling as he held his wounded hand tightly. "I-I-It w-won't s-s-stop bl-bleeding! I d-d-don't w-want to d-d-d-die! I-I'm s-s-scared, D-Dad!"

He continued to wait, sniffling and coughing and gagging as he panicked. His father didn't move for what felt like days. When he finally slipped out of his chair, he towered over Souji, eyes boring into him with anger. Without a word, he grabbed onto Souji's arm and pulled his wounded hand for a closer look, Souji struggling to keep his tip-toes touching the floor. He watched as his father's brow furrowed, the way his jaw clenched when he got mad, and he flinched when he gave him a horrifying stare. Without warning, Souji was dropped to the floor, slipping and falling onto his back as he heard his father step back to his desk.

"You know where the bandages are. I need to concentrate, so quit your crying, you're not going to die." It was strict and commanding, and Souji knew if he stayed any longer he'd get in trouble. Trying to quell his crying, he slowly rolled to the side to lift himself up. He paused for a moment when he heard his father say something more. He couldn't catch the entirety of the sentence, and he wondered if his dad even meant for him to hear it. He could feel his heart drop at the solitary words that he could hear.

"Worthless kid."

He jumped when there was a sudden  _crack_  that riddled through the air, and he found himself in the backseat of their car, body trembling as he watched his mom regain her composure after punching the dashboard. His focus was turned to his father as the man climbed into the vehicle, slamming the door with more force than was necessary. His lower lip trembled, and he chewed on it as he tried to make it stop. He kicked his feet lightly in the air, bowing his head when his parents started to squabble among themselves, flinching when he heard another sharp  _crack_. He could feel his mother's sharp gaze on him, and he could only look at his hands as he twiddled his thumbs hesitantly in his lap.

"Do you know what you just did?" she asked, voice both cold to send a shiver down his spine and hot enough to cut through the air like a knife. "Do you know how  _embarrassing_  that was?! You better be thankful we weren't here for something  _actually_  important!"

He felt the tears welt back up in his eyes. He knew they'd wanted a couple of things for the kitchen, and all he'd wanted was a new colouring book so he asked if he could go with them to the mall. Then his parents had disappeared into a crowd. He couldn't find them and started bawling. He could feel the eyes on him, the murmurs as people walked by, the concern when a couple of teenagers started asking what was wrong and if they could help. One of them sat with him and tried to comfort him while the others went to find mall security. The teenager had been really nice, showing him a magic trick with an elastic band. He'd just started to calm down when he heard him mom shouting his name, and he couldn't even thank the stranger before he was being dragged away and practically thrown into the backseat of the car. He'd just wanted a colouring book...

"Don't you start crying again! You're going to give me a headache!" his mother sighed in aggravation, and he could hear her sliding down her seat. She started grumbling under her breath, and he could only hear a couple of words that made his heart sink.

"Worthless kid."

His drawings were on the fridge. He could feel his face glowing in pride as his dad ruffled his hair for getting an A on the math test. He could feel a blush cornering his cheeks as his mom kissed him out of joy for a job well done. His drawings only stayed up for a couple of days before they were shoved into a drawer. B's weren't good enough. He didn't try hard enough. Muttering under their breath past all their "I love you"'s, his heart fell.

"Worthless kid."

The words repeated over and over and over again. He was thrown into a void where all he could hear, all that resonated, were the echoing words that pierce through his skin and into his heart. Over and over and over and over again, louder and louder each time. He couldn't stand it. He wanted to scream, to tell them to shut up, to do anything but be forced to sit there and listen to them say it again and again. He choked up—voice failing in the back of his throat. He couldn't even defend himself from their abuse, he  _was_  worthless.

What else could he be?

...And worthless things were better off dead...

He was sitting in the hospital bed, the girl in green hesitant and nervous to sit down next to him. She started to ramble, going on and on about how she'd been so worried about him, about how the class had made origami cranes, how she'd tried to get her friends to come visit him, too. Her smile lit up the room as she enthused about her shows, before stopping herself to make sure she wasn't boring him.

His cousin had warmed up slowly. She would always fiddle with her dad's phone and try to ignore the awkward situation, but they started to engage in small talk, and she'd happily tell her tales about school and her friends. She'd ask when he'd be leaving the hospital. She'd ask if he was feeling better enough to leave.

He found himself suddenly crushed in a hug, the words still echoed feverishly in his ears, but there was another added in. It was his uncle, crying and repeating his name like a mantra. The Junes parking lot shot into view, the lights of cop cars off in the distance, officers staring around and muttering in confusion. His uncle's grip was tight, his tears soaking through his shirt, the vibrations spreading through every nerve.

"I'm sorry..."

"Ah, jeez, I'm so sorry."

"Are you okay?"

Their voices of concern, their apologies and smiles and tears of relief pushed away the echoing taunts and jabs until the sound was even on both planes. Was he worth something to them? He must have been, why else would they bother? Chie didn't even know him and went to visit him right away. His uncle was probably tearing his hair out looking for him. Nanako was probably scared and confused.

He wasn't going back dead this time.

He wanted to mute the voices of his parents for good.

With a sudden  _snap_ , the distorted replica of his parents' room appeared back into view, and he could see his Shadow pacing around grumbling to himself. Souji found it hard to breathe, swallowing a horrible chore as he tried to stifle the lump in the back of his throat. He looked around the room hazily, noting the pictures on the wall had been thrown to the floor, glass shards littered about. His attention slowly drifted back to the Shadow, who had decided to sit on the edge of the bed and cradle his head in his hands. It hadn't noticed he was awake yet.

Heart pounding to his ears, he swallowed again, wincing at the pain that came with it. There had to be something with this Shadow, something he could  _do_. What had happened the first encounter? It had screamed at him in a fury, then it had quieted down and there was a moment where the Shadow's eyes lit up with something other than anger or sadness—like it had been beckoning something more. Or, maybe he was just imagining things in a panicked and possibly delusional state. Either way, there was a moment he saw something else in the jarring, yellow eyes... when had it happened?

It shot through him like an arrow. The double was over him, cupping his face, fingers like static against his skin. He could feel the Shadow's breath on his lips, their hair tangling as he brushed their foreheads together, his eyes closing in bliss.

"That's right. We're worthless."

He agreed. He agreed he was worthless. The Shadow's attitude changed when he agreed. There had to be more to it, that couldn't just be it. Or, maybe there was nothing to it and he was overthinking everything. Still, it was either try or... die, and he didn't want the latter to happen. Not again.

"We're not," he strained to say, watching as the Shadow perked up and stared at him in confusion. "We're not..."

The Shadow jumped from his seat and towered over him, eyes glowing with anger as he yelled, "How are you not DEAD?!  _AGAIN?!_ "

"Because... we're not worthless..." he glared right back up, slowly raising his left arm to grip lightly onto his copy's. "Maybe... Maybe to our parents... Maybe they... don't love us... maybe they never... did... But Uncle... Nanako... Chie... they care. They give me worth... They give you worth... It will never... stop hurting... what mom and dad have done... but I can do better than them. We can do better. I won't let them be my death. I won't let you make them be my death. Three people care about us... so... so we're... We're. Not. Worthless."

He was interrupted by a coughing fit, which turned into wheezing as it felt like his throat was refusing to bring air into his lungs. He couldn't stop, tears burning into his eyes while he couldn't remember how to breathe. He was forced to look at his knees as his coughing continued mercilessly, and a shock of panic cornered his system when he felt the Shadow kneel in front of him. He expected to be pushed against the wall, hands around his neck, touch like static. When the Shadow put his hands to his shoulder, he closed his eyes and expected the worst as he was lightly pushed back. He shut his eyes, his coughing still rampaging as he could feel the fingers rise to his face, cupping his cheeks, tingling his skin. He waited for them to move to his neck, to squeeze where they'd been choking him before. It didn't happen. He felt the Shadow place his forehead on his, their hair brushing and tickling, his breath cold on his warm skin.

Time froze when he felt his lips close after a cough, the Shadow's head brushed to the side and Souji could feel his copy's lips on top of his. His body tensed, skin crawling at the sensation, before he felt a rush fall over him, the pain throughout his body dimming, his heartbeat slowing to a normal pace, his breath coming back in easygoing waves. Just as fast as it had happened, the Shadow pulled away.

"I am thou... and thou art I."

He opened his eyes, watching as the Shadow grinned peacefully before fading into a light, a floating card taking his place. He reached out weakly, the card hovering above his palm before vanishing, enveloping him in a brief light and sending another rush of relief over his tattered body. His limbs still ached, pulsing and pained, but it was numb throbbing and dulled from before. He sat there, breathing slowly, looking around the room tiredly. The pictures still littered the floor, glass scattered all around, writing staining the walls. It was quiet. It was horribly quiet.

It was calming.

He didn't realize he'd fallen into a sleep until he felt something hot on his foot. His eyes opened in a panic, a Shadow pawing at his skin. His heart jumped in adrenaline, and he quickly kicked his leg, the monster squealing as it was flung across the room. Hesitantly, Souji pushed himself up along the wall, legs shaking as he finally managed to stand, his eyes never leaving the Shadow. The monster gurgled angrily as it regained its composure, which was echoed by more disgusting sounds and all he could do was watch while more Shadows piled into the room. His legs locked in terror as the monsters closed in, watching as the Shadows bubbled in fury the closer they got.

A chime rang through his ears.

"I am thou... and thou art I," echoed in his mind. It was his Shadow's voice, but, it wasn't. He'd said that before he disappeared, too. "Thou hast opened thine eyes... The time... is now!"

The pain and nervousness in his system disappeared as a rush of power flowed through his veins, a deep breath escaping his lips as he watched that card re-emerge from seemingly thin air. The Shadows had paused, growling and bubbling in place as he reached out for the card. A haunting grace of electricity tickled his skin as his fingers touched the card. This was his power, this was his...

"Persona," he heard himself mumble blankly, before taking the card and crushing it in his palm. Another rush fell over him as a towering figure loomed in front, looking over its shoulder to give him a brief glance, yellow eyes accentuated behind a faceless mask.

There was a moment of pause until the Shadows screeched and jumped onto his Persona—Izanagi, he could feel was its name—the monsters burning into the entity, which burned into him, too. Gritting his teeth, he swung his arm to the side, Izanagi following his motions before moving with his thought patterns, swinging the giant sword it carried and cleaving a multitude of the monsters in two, the beings fading away in horrifying sounds. Breathing heavily at the sudden exertion and adrenaline, he couldn't stop himself from staring at the entity before him, which merely stayed in it's spot, hovering above the ground. He couldn't fathom it—everything was happening to fast. This Izanagi, this Persona, this was his... power? Why did he have this power? Everything about this scenario, everything that had happened to him since arriving in Inaba, it made all his senses tingle and scream that he was experiencing some fever dream, this wasn't real, it couldn't be real...

He looked to the cloaked entity, eyes widened with wonder and body glued to the spot.

It was real. Everything about this—about him—about his Shadow—it was all real, and he had to get back home. He had to find that weird bear to show him the way back home. Letting out a heavy breath, he slowly pushed away from the wall and started towards the door, where he could feel Izanagi shifting lightly, his giant sword slamming into the floor. It was intimidating, realizing exactly how enormous the Persona was next to him, the being was hunched over to avoid hitting the ceiling. Izanagi glanced at him, the lightning eyes darting behind the faceless mask. It wasn't a haunting look, it was anything but, but it still sent a shiver crawling down his spine.

Slowly, he shuffled his way out of the room, and he could feel Izanagi traipsing behind him. Peering hesitantly into the hallway, he squinted, trying to see if there were any Shadows hiding in plain sight. When nothing scurried or screeched, Souji finally started down the hallway, the looming Izanagi behind him both a sense of comfort and a unease. The pain in his body had softened considerably, but it still sent flares of distress across his nerves when he moved, the cuts in his feet pulsing, his throat still burning every time he swallowed. He'd probably be shipped right back to the hospital when he was out of this place and safe. Hopefully he wouldn't have the hallucinations anymore... No, he was going to be fine this time. No more hallucinations. Everything was going to be okay.

He paused when he reached the corridor, unsure of which direction he had come from. Both directions were lined with identical doorways on the walls, and he could hear the crying child, the screaming and yelling. They were muffled and distant, but they were there. Doorknobs rattled, there were knocks that grew louder. The hairs on his neck stood up, and he could feel Izanagi radiate a short discharge of static. The knocks were growing louder, and they were mainly focused on his left. Turning to look down that way, Souji slowly inched towards the path on his right, beads of sweat rolling down his face as he realized the doors at the end were practically splitting with the force of whatever was hitting them from inside the rooms.

And then they snapped.

There was a horrendous screeching as the doors were shredded, hordes of Shadows piling out of the furthermost rooms and molding and combining and fusing. It quickly grew so large that the walls started to creak and protest, the ceiling cracking. He swear he could see a child's face crying in agony as he looked on in horror, before panic shot through his veins once more and he was directing Izanagi to attack as he fled down the hall. His stomach twisted in knots as the crying child, the screaming, the knocking, the rattling doorknobs, they all got louder as he ran down the hall, and he could see fingers trying to claw their way through the cracks under the doors, the wooden frames splintering and starting to break.

A pain suddenly slammed into his right arm, Souji falling to the ground as he cradled his constricted hand. He hadn't agitated his shoulder with all the running had he? No—no. Izanagi. He was connected to Izanagi. He looked over his shoulder, tears falling and breaths back heavy as he watched the Persona struggle to rid it's arm free from the Shadows gaping maw. He could feel fire in his lungs and electricity spread through his veins, watching as Izanagi glowed before there was a flash of lightning inside the Shadow. The electricity caused the monster to split in a squealing rage, the remnants struggling to merge again. The doors around him were cracking harshly, the sounds louder and blending. He couldn't hear himself breathing. He couldn't hear his pounding heartbeat.

He had to get out of here.

He just wanted out of here.

With sharp movements, Izanagi turned to him, and in a blink of an eye the Persona was darting towards him. He couldn't do anything but yelp in surprise when the entity scooped him up under one of his arms. Souji couldn't help but squint and shield his eyes with his hand as they shot through the hallway. They were going so fast—and he could hear the doors breaking—the walls creaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw deep cracks surging through the walls and up to the ceiling. Oh god, they weren't going to get out of here. They were going to get buried alive.

He wasn't quite sure what happened when he watched as the ceiling started to collapse. There was a flurry of motion, pain spreading through his body as his vision was clouded and muddy. It was like everything was streaming by him in spurts, lines darting through past his eyes and horrendous sounds as the building collapsed, the monstrous screech from the Shadow echoing in his mind. Then, silence. He couldn't move. Something was hovering over him, and he knew it wasn't Izanagi. He was being dragged, and he couldn't protest, couldn't quite figure out exactly what was holding onto him.

Then it was gone.

He still couldn't move. There was a constant ring in his ears. He was finding it hard to breathe—he was laying face down, it took him a moment to realize. He wasn't sure how long he was there, and then there was something hovering over him. It rolled him over. He slowly opened his eyes after a moment, the world spotted and dusted with unrecognized colours. Everything hurt. He couldn't tell where he was. There was a slight nudge on his shoulder, and he closed his eyes in a panic, trying to catch the fragments of words he thought he heard past the ringing that was slowly starting to fade away. No... those won't words... It was the bubbling of the Shadows.

He opened his eyes just as fast and shoved the monster away. His vision was still clouded and blurry, head reeling at the sudden movement as he did his best to crawl away while still watching the monster. It continued to gurgle nonsense, but it didn't move from where it stood. Souji tensed when he bumped into something and couldn't move any farther, silently crushing his hand into a fist as he struggled to summon Izanagi. It didn't happen. He tried again and again and again and the Persona wasn't emerging. He could feel the entity buried within his mind, but it wasn't responding. Why? Why why why why why?! Was there a limit to this power?! Dammit, why?! He needed it! He needed to get out of here!

He felt something touch his pinkie. His breath caught in his throat as it cut his skin lightly, and he slowly moved his hand over the rest of it. He couldn't tell what it was—glass, maybe—but it was the only weapon he had now. He hoped it wasn't attached to anything. He wasn't going to look—he wasn't going to ignore this Shadow, which continued to bubble and gurgle at the same distance. Was it scared of him? Is that why it didn't just kill him while he couldn't move? Good. He wasn't the only scared thing anymore.

His hand gripped tightly around his makeshift weapon, and he ignored as it cut into his skin, blood stinging as it left. There was no hesitation when he jumped to his feet and charged. The Shadow dodged, but the monster shrieked in dismay as it fell to the floor. Part of him wanted to stop, to pin the Shadow down and stab it mercilessly until it disintegrated into nothing, but he kept running past instead. He had to get home. Where was the bear? Why wasn't Izanagi responding? Why was this still happening?! He just wanted to go home!

He could hear the Shadow following him, and he kept darting through this unknown place until he found himself alone. Ducking under debris and other construed objects, he hid himself, trying to calm his breathing. There was going to be more. He had to wait for an opening. He had to find wait for a chance to leave—and this wouldn't be it. The Shadow would be back and it would have reinforcements. Shoving the glass into the opening of his sling, he sat there, trying to calm his racing heart and stuttering breaths, hoping he hadn't dripped blood. Would they follow it if he left a trail? Questions sputtered and circled his mind as he waited, sometimes pausing to try to summon the dormant Persona from his mind, only to bite on his tongue to suppress his confused cries as Izanagi refused to appear.

Then he heard the sounds of more. They flocked around him, and he darted to new areas when he found openings. How many were there? How long was he running circles around them? They kept looking through the holes he was hiding in! They wouldn't stop! He found himself pulling the glass out from the sling. He couldn't find a way out of here. They wouldn't leave him alone. Souji was going to carve his way out of this place.

He heard some of them scuttling up behind him, and he ducked into a nearby hole. His heart was pounding, and he couldn't stop blinking. It felt like his vision was finally starting to clear, but his surroundings still felt hazy and distant to himself. Two of the Shadows paused outside his hiding place. Did they know he was in here? They weren't moving. They were taunting him. Shit shit shit, he didn't know if he could take on two at once. Shit. Shit. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing, hand trembling as he clenched onto the glass tightly. He tried again to summon Izanagi. It was so  _frustrating_! He could  _feel_  the Persona on the tip of his entire soul, but it wouldn't  _listen_! And the Shadows wouldn't  _leave_! They were just  _sitting there!_

The anger bubbled up to his ears, his face flushed in frustration and desperation as he bolted out of the hiding place, screaming. He yelled something specific, but what flew out of his mouth was lost to his ears as all he could do was watch as he drove the glass through the shoulder of Adachi.

Through the shoulder of... Adachi...?

...What?

His mind blanked, Souji looking down to his furiously shaking hand. His chest felt heavy, his head pounding and his legs numb. Was he hallucinating... again? Was he... hallucinating that he was home...? He didn't get to find an answer as something pricked into his side and electricity pierced his veins. It wasn't the same as Izanagi's—this hurt and stung, while Izanagi's was warm and somehow soothing. The pain surged through every nerve until he watched everything cradle back to black.


	21. Chapter 21

He didn't give them any acknowledgement. It was almost enough for him to panic when he awoke, but it clicked in all too fast that he was in a hospital bed. The monitor beeping beside him, an IV drip now placed in his arm, bandages and gauze wrapped around his left hand, surely that TV world couldn't conjure up this. Surely, it wouldn't try keeping him alive after trying to kill him multiple times.

He was tired. They were asking him questions, but all he saw were hazy figures and their words came out like the Shadows' bubbling and hisses. Sometimes, when he blinked, he could see reality, hear the fragment of the sentence before it all faded back into his riddled hallucination.

He was fine now. They weren't going to hurt him. He knew where he was.

At least, he could only hope he knew where he was.

Trying to focus on the brief seconds of reality and the monitor beeping at his side is what was probably keeping him grounded. He continued to sit in silence, not bothering to spare a glance at the doctors and nurses that appeared as monsters for most of his minutes. They blubbered and gurgled, nothing but a mess to his ears until he fell asleep. He was exhausted. The same thing happened each day, however, every time he woke up, the hallucinations vanished longer. It was a relief, but he still didn't respond to the fragments of questions he managed to collect. He was being carted from room to room, tests and the like happening, but he didn't respond. He didn't want to respond until everything was cleared up, until the hallucinations were gone for good.

He was terribly drained. Every time he fell asleep, flashes of Yamano's body swarmed his mind, of Adachi's horrified look as he glanced to the glass embedded into his shoulder. There was always the sound of heavy knocks, rattling doorknobs, a crying child, screaming and yelling, which all merged into the background as the images strung along slowly in his mind.

One day, something filtered in behind the grating sounds, and he opened his eyes to the white ceiling. He could understand the conversation—his uncle was talking to someone who's voice he didn't recognize. He didn't turn to look, seeing how long it would last. They would usually fade to the gurgles and bubbles after a moment, the ceiling fading to be shaded in a murky yellow. He waited, blinking slowly, breathing lightly. It never changed. The ceiling remained white, his uncle's conversation with the stranger was crystal clear. He thought he'd be happier, laughing and crying when he was finally grounded back in reality; instead, he merely lay there, completely enervated.

He rolled his head to the side, blinking slowly as he looked at his uncle and a woman talking near the door on the far side of the room. The woman wasn't a nurse—she wasn't in uniform. Did his uncle get a girlfriend? No, that probably wasn't the case. He tried listening to the conversation, only to realize he had no context. He'd just been focusing on the fact that he could understand the words, he hadn't been paying attention to the sentences themselves. Something about investigating a junkyard?

"...Uncle..." he mumbled, shifting in his bed to try to sit up, finding it difficult with one arm still constricted tightly to his chest by a sling, the other with an IV drip in his inner elbow, hand wrapped so he couldn't bend his fingers. He gave up after a fleeting couple of seconds, his uncle whirling around on the spot and staring at him with wide eyes before it softened into relief. The woman excused herself, saying she was going to find a nurse while Dojima quickly made his way to the bedside. He noticed right away that his uncle's lip was trembling, the man's fingers shaking as he brushed them through Souji's hair.

"Souji..." Dojima said, and Souji could see his eyes starting to water. "I was getting so scared, I thought... I'd thought... They told me... They..."

Souji watched his uncle falter, the man bringing his hand back to his side before he cupped them around his face. He watched Dojima close his eyes, could hear the deep and heavy breath he sighed behind his hands before he slowly brought his hands back to his side, giving the teen a shaky grin.

"They're gonna want to ask you a lot of questions," he chuckled, pausing as he looked for a chair and brought it next to the bed. "And the police will be rushing to get answers, too."

Police. The image of Adachi flashed through his mind at the mention of the word. He thought he'd get worked up, voice peak in a panic, but he was so tired.

"...Is Adachi-san okay?" It sounded absolutely apathetic.

His uncle sighed and lowered his head, scratching the back of his neck, mumbling something to himself before he straightened up again. Before he could answer, the door opened again, the woman from earlier walking in with a couple of nurses in tow. They flocked over to him quickly, their voices soft and calm as they asked him questions and made him follow simple instructions. They quickly motioned for Dojima and the woman to follow them, saying it'd be just a moment before leading them outside. The door clicked behind them quietly, and Souji stared before he rolled his head to look back at the ceiling. He was so tired, he just wanted to go back to sleep. He didn't want to disappoint his uncle, though. He'd try, anyway, to talk for a little while.

He heard the door open again, heard the strength in his uncle's steps, the shorter ones from the woman next to his. He turned his head again as his uncle grabbed another chair for the woman to sit in before perching himself back in his own. Dojima smiled lightly, hanging his hands over the edge of the bed's rails before the woman forced a cough into her hand. He examined the woman quickly as she sat up close; strong and defined cheekbones resting against an otherwise soft face, black hair tied neatly into a bun and sparkling brown eyes looking at him with exuberance.

Straightening, Dojima gave a quick gesture to the woman. "Souji, this is Takara Hamasaki, a colleague of mine. She's one of the nicest people you'll meet in the office."

Souji turned his direction to Hamasaki. who he could see rolling her eyes before looking at him and giving him a bright smile before it faltered. "It's nice to meet you, Souji-kun. This is where I'd usually shake your hand, but, well, um, you know the whole... everything. Sorry. I just ruined that first impression."

He stared at her and then looked back at his uncle. "How's... Adachi-san...?" he repeated his question from earlier.

Dojima's face fell in what seemed like surprise, and gave Hamasaki a quick glance of possible concern before he looked back. He hissed lightly, twiddling his thumbs over the rails. "We... weren't sure if you...  _knew_..." he faltered on each word, like he was trying to say the sentence delicately. "Don't worry, though, Souji, he's alive. Won't be doing field work for a while, but he'll be fine, it's okay."

Souji nodded, and the conversation fell into silence. There was an itch that was starting to form on his knee. He didn't move—he didn't want to disturb anything from his bandages to his IV. It was going to annoy him, but he was going to do his best to ignore it. Adachi was alive, that was good. Had the Shadow he'd seen when he woke up been a person too? He was glad he ran instead of stabbing it full of holes with the glass. He didn't want to think about what would have happened then.

He remained silent, watching as Dojima shifted uncomfortably in the chair before he started talking about Nanako, and how relieved she was to here he'd been found again. She'd asked if he'd come home this time, and Souji felt his heart twist in guilt. Hamasaki had quickly intervened the conversation to start talking about the first time she had met Nanako. Her and Dojima corrected and lightly argued with each other over how events started or how they happened, but they were laughing and smiling all the same as they told the story. Souji could only stare. He was so tired, and he couldn't help but question why Hamasaki was there.

"...Aren't you going... to interrogate me...?" he asked, interrupting her spiel about some guy knocking over a punch bowl with his elbow.

She looked at him for a second, face frozen mid-laugh until it fell, the woman waving her hands defensively. "No! No, no, no! I mean, I will on a later date but not today. We didn't even know if you'd... talk to us today. I didn't even think I was going to visit you today! I came to visit Adachi-san when Dojima-san popped in and then Adachi-san fell asleep so I just went along with your uncle to keep him company and... so... No interrogations, Souji-kun! Not today! You're free from the police questions... for now!"

He grunted in acknowledgement, and he found himself closing his eyes. He heard Hamasaki mumble an "oh" while his uncle sighed. There was quiet before the two adults started whispering among themselves and then there was the sound of chairs being moved, strong and tight footsteps, and the door opening and closing. Then, there was knocking, a child crying, screaming, a body strung in the air, Adachi shell-shocked as he looked to the glass in his shoulder. There was knocking, windows cracking, doors breaking, static bleeding through his ears, claws burning through his skin. There was knocking, the girl in green, his relatives, laughing and conversing. There was knocking. There was a chime.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

His eyes fluttered open, his arms and legs movable and unrestricted by constrictive bandages and slings. The soothing piano from the quiet radio echoed lazily into his ears, the rich blue of the limousine soothing to his tired eyes. He couldn't help but notice the abundance of booze, but neither Igor nor Margaret had a glass at the table. He found himself thirsty.

"Do not be alarmed, you are fast asleep in the real world," Igor explained, grin continuously plastered on his face. "I have summoned you within your dreams."

Souji slowly tilted his head to the side. What  _was_  Igor? What  _was_  this Velvet Room? Was it all just a figment of his imagination—some kind of fever dream? A coping mechanism? He tilted his head the other way, and he thought he saw Igor about to mimic his movements before he stopped. Could he force Igor to do that? This was a dream, right? Margaret started talking, but her words entered as gibberish as he kept his focus on Igor, trying to concentrate on controlling the man. There was a moment when he heard Margaret stop her speech, Igor slowly closing his eyes and chuckling.

"It seems our guest has other things on his mind, Margaret," the man hummed in amusement. "This space is the separation between dreams and reality, mind and matter. We are more than just your imagination."

Separation between dreams and reality and mind and matter. He said that the first time, too, didn't he? Still didn't make any amount of sense repeated a second time. Margaret shifted in her seat, dragging the book to rest further along her knees, staring at Igor for a silent moment before turning to Souji with a curt nod.

"This is a space that only those with a contract may enter. In your daily life, y—" Margaret's speech continued, but Souji perked up at a sound past her voice and past the lull of the song in unseen speakers. There was knocking. Margaret's words fell deaf to him again as he slowly turned to the tinted window, squinting to try to see the outside. It grew louder. There was a pause—the music stopped, and he could sense discomfort in the duo across from him. All he could hear for a moment was the soft sounds of the wheels rolling over dirt pavement. He heard the bottles of alcohol clink and chime as they shook when there was the force of a loud shake outside. He could hear Margaret mumbling to Igor, but he never heard the man respond.

The bottles shook more, the knocking echoed into the distance. He couldn't look away from the window, even scooting closer as he tried to look outside. He couldn't see much, if anything at all. The air was thick, and he could hear Margaret lightly tapping the edge of her book as they waited. The sounds grew louder and louder, some of the bottles crashing onto the floor. Then, it stopped. He continued to peer out the window, hesitantly glancing to Igor before looking back out the window. Moments passed, possibly eternity passed, but nothing else occurred. Silently, slowly, Souji slid back to the middle of the seat, looking to the broken bottle underneath his foot before he glanced up to the duo.

Igor's grin was gone, his pointed ears lowered and his gaze still aimed out the window with half-lidded eyes. Margaret looked between him and Souji before straightening her posture once more.

"As I was saying," she started, hesitant, trying to cover up the fact that her voice was laced in confusion. "In your subconscious, you—"

There was a sharp  _thud_  at the window he hadn't looked through, Souji jumping and staring as two eyes bore into him from beyond the glass. They were red. They were glowing. They were looking right at him. He couldn't feel Igor's or Margaret's presences anymore, positive they were still there, but unable to look for himself as his gaze was fixated on the eyes outside. He watched as lines started to carve into the glass, a horrible screech shattering into his ears as they were made. Suddenly, he found himself being bombarded by the window's shards as it shattered and flew at him, Souji only catching a quick glance of what looked to be a woman before she leapt inside and covered his face. Sounds quickly became muffled, like he was swimming underwater. The woman gripped her hand tightly around his face, and it felt like his mind was on fire. He couldn't explain it, but it felt like they were burning away something from his existence, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Tears pricked his eyes as the pain surged, nails piercing into his flesh.

Then she let go and he took a deep breath, eyes snapping open to take note of what was happening.

He was back in the hospital bed.

He was tired.


	22. Chapter 22

It had been around a week, and he was still tired. Nurses fluttered in every hour to check up on him, doctors coming in every other day to ask questions while thumbing through a file filled with papers as they spoke. Dojima and Nanako visited every night for an hour or two, which Souji found odd. Didn't his uncle have to work on the investigation? He never mentioned anything about it, and the teen was getting curious, but didn't want to bother his uncle or make Nanako uncomfortable.

The girl was always so full of energy when she visited. At first, she was hesitant, constantly re-examining all the bandages over his body. He could see it still bothered her, but she would always be ready to spin tales about what happened at school, or how she got most of the questions on the quiz show right, or what happened on the latest episode of one of her favourite cartoons. She wanted to know what had happened to him, he could tell every time she glanced at the bruise on his neck, or the bandages, but she was distracting herself with her tales as much as she was trying to keep him occupied during the visit.

Dojima didn't talk much. He mainly asked questions, how was he doing that day, did he need a drink or something to eat, smiling distantly as he let Nanako do all the talking for them. Sometimes she'd egg him on to contribute to her tales, but he'd keep it brief and minimal. Something was eating his uncle alive, he could sense it every time he looked at the bruise on his neck.

One day, Adachi visited instead of his family. He wasn't in a hospital gown or his work clothes, instead in simple, casual clothing. He'd already been released from the hospital? Souji stared at the sling holding Adachi's left arm, the bandages he could see poking out from the collar of his shirt, the way his skin was pale, the dark lines under his eyes, the messier hair. There was silence when Adachi grabbed a chair and sat next to the bed, Souji unable to look away from the bandages under the shirt. He felt guilt rise in his throat, swallowing harshly as he looked to the blanket over his knees.

"...I'm sorry..." he whispered. "I..."

"Hey, hey, now, I didn't come here for apologies." Adachi's voice was soft, but commanding. "You were in a bad place, Souji-kun, I don't put the blame on you. Look, I'm just glad I pushed Dojima-san out of the way. I lived through the ordeal, but, if I hadn't noticed, then Dojima-san..."

The detective trailed off, Souji looking at him in wall-eyed wonder. Pushed Dojima? What did that mean...? If Adachi hadn't... noticed... then his uncle would have...? Would have what? Suddenly, the image flashed in his mind, the nightmare of Adachi with the glass sticking out of his shoulder, staring in shell-shocked horror. It warped and twisted, the image of the young detective melting and moulding until his uncle was standing in his place. The glass shard stayed in place. Where it was in Adachi's shoulder, now it was embedded into his uncle's heart.

Stomach lurching, Souji jumped up and brought his bandaged hand to cover his mouth. He could hear Adachi cursing to himself at his side, tears falling down his face as he felt the man rub slow, awkward circles on his back.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Souji-kun. I should learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes," Adachi blubbered. "Look, see, Dojima-san's fine! I'm fine! You're fine! Hey, it's okay, all right? Shit, I'm sorry I said that."

Adachi's words were shining in his head, echoing in his mind as the image of Dojima with the shard in his chest flashed to Adachi with it in his shoulder. Fine. Fine. They were  _fine_. All of them, fine. All of them, alive. The image kept flashing, changing between the two men as that solitary word drummed with every beat of his heart. Fine fine fine. The image slowly started to fade from his mind, the knots in his stomach were still twisting tightly, but at least the image was leaving, only to hit right back full force when Dojima came walking through the door. Nanako wasn't with him, instead, it was Hamasaki.

He could sense tension between the two, but once Dojima caught his eye, he watched his uncle's jaw tighten as he rushed over, glancing at Adachi wordlessly.

"H-He's okay, Dojima-san! I-I think..." the younger detective said sheepishly. "I went to check up with the doctor and decided I'd pay Souji-kun a visit after and... said something without thinking..."

There was a pause before Dojima sighed, grumbling under his breath. He was close enough for Souji to hear, "When do you  _ever_  think...?"

Adachi heard it too, he assumed, because the man flinched and turned away. He stared at his uncle, who was staring at him with such concern that he could feel the guilt squeezing around his heart. If Adachi hadn't pushed his uncle out of the way, he would have... They wouldn't be having this conversation. This wouldn't be happening...

"God, Adachi, what the hell did you tell him?! He looks scared shitless!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean—i-it just slipped out, I j—"

"Hey, hey, hey, knock it out, you two!" Hamasaki interrupted, stepping closer to the bed with harsh steps. "You're not gonna make anything better by bickering, all right? Just calm down, sit down, we're here to visit. I mean, technically,  _I'm_  not, but—"

Dojima sighed and lowered his head in defeat,"Hamasaki..."

"Oh. Oh... Wasn't supposed to say that. Shit. I'm just as bad as Adachi-san, huh, Dojima-san?"

"H-Hamasaki-san, I'm right here!"

Souji looked at the woman. She wasn't in casual wear like the last time he saw her, she was wearing more formal attire, like Dojima and Adachi wore for work. She was still on the job. She wanted to ask him questions about what happened. Slowly, he fell back onto the bed, head falling harshly into the pillow as he looked up at the ceiling, suddenly finding himself worn out and drained at the aspect of being asked more questions. When would they stop? Apparently never, because he was asking them, too.

His uncle was right at his side, fussing over him at the sudden fall back to his bed. The guilt still tore in his heart, the image of the glass shard piercing through Dojima's chest strong in his mind. Then it was back to Adachi with the shell-shocked horror in his face. Back to Dojima. Adachi. Dojima. Adachi.

He heard what sounded like a child whimpering, a child crying. It took a minute until he could feel the tightness in his chest, the quivering of his lip, the tears falling down his face. How could he have made the mistake? How come he'd still thought he was in the TV world? He could have killed his uncle—he attacked Adachi! He attacked his uncle initially! He attacked somebody else! How come he hadn't realized?! How could he have thought they were actual Shadows? Stupid, stupid, stupid! Stupid!

"Souji. Souji, calm down, it's okay." Dojima had started running his fingers soothingly through Souji's hair, sparing Adachi a quick glance before looking back at his nephew. "Hey, look at me, it's okay. It's okay, all right?"

He heard himself whimpering again, nodding slowly as he tried to stop his tears. It took him what felt like hours until he calmed down, forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths as he shut his eyes and tried to distract himself. Recalling Nanako's stories slowly helped his tears to stop, trying to imagine exactly how the young girl went about her day enough to push the guilt back. It wasn't completely gone, still hitting him sharp when he opened his eyes to see his uncle still staring at him in concern, to see Adachi with his arm still in a sling. It was stabbing him mercilessly, eating away.

He heard the door open, the adults jumping to attention. He didn't move. He could hear something being wheeled in, and there were multitudes of footsteps. Hamasaki started talking to whoever had entered, the conversation nothing more than empty words in his clouded mind. He found himself jumping up in shock, staring as he watched a man bark at her, Dojima and Adachi jumping out of their seats before Hamasaki raised her hands and motioned for the man to talk outside. He was yelling at her all the while until the door closed behind them, Souji looking to his uncle as the man grit his teeth and folded his arms, glaring at the door. He could hear the man yelling outside.

Diverting his attention, Souji looked over at the table that had been wheeled in, a nurse and two other officers standing behind it and conversing lightly. He could see folders and a video camera, noting one of the officers holding a tripod in his hands. Were they going to record him? What were the folders for? He caught Adachi staring at the contents on the table as well, unable to see the man's expression from the way he was turned. Slowly, Souji looked back to his uncle, Dojima still fixated on the conversation outside the door, his hands gripping tightly into his arms and his face shot into a tight scowl.

The yelling stopped and there was a moment before the door re-opened, Hamasaki entering the room alone. She sighed and pushed some loose hair behind her ear as her heels tapped against the floor while she made her way to the bedside. She shared a long glance with Dojima, the man's scowl softening before he sat down and sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

"Souji-kun, I'm going to be honest here," Hamasaki started, scooting next to Dojima and lightly leaning over to look the teen in the eye, placing a hand on his bandaged one. "Our boss is going to keep throwing a fit until I get an interview with you and get your statement. He wants this case closed as fast as he can. If you're not up to it now, that is absolutely fine, we can do it in a couple of hours. If you ever, ever get uncomfortable and want to stop, tell me, and I will stop. I can make one answer enough of a goldmine to shut that asshole up, even if it's a simple 'no'."

"She's good at that," Adachi added on. "Almost managed to break a case single-handed, and all she had to work with was a 'yes'."

"Adachi-san, there was more to it than that!" Hamasaki huffed. "Way, way, way more to it than that! There was all the evidence and the other testimonies and... and... Don't put me on a pedestal! I just meant I can convince him that Souji-kun was done talking or... fell asleep or... what have you! And you two won't say a thing, will you?!" She leaned to look at the other officers next to the table, Souji glancing at them and watching them shake their heads adamantly.

"So, Souji-kun, we can start now or we can do it later, whenever you're r—"

"Why isn't uncle interviewing me?" he interrupted, voice still echoing with a slight shake as he looked back at them.

Hamasaki looked at him, mouth hung open for a moment before she turned to Dojima with a scowl. "You didn't tell him?"

"I... I didn't think it was important..." Dojima paled, looking between his co-worker and nephew.

"Of course it's important!"

Sighing deeply, Dojima leaned forward, running his hands through his hair before hesitantly looking Souji in the eye. "I... I was taken off the case..." he admitted, voice quieting near the end as he lowered his head and fiddled with his hands now in his lap. "...Forced to take two week's worth of vacation. That's why I could visit you every night."

Souji squinted and tilted his head, unable to stop his mind from drumming it into his heart that it was somehow his fault. "...Why?"

"...I got angry."

"...That's it...?" He questioned, sliding back into a sitting position to get a better look at his uncle, who was avoiding his eye.

"It was enough."

"Dojima-san," Souji turned to Adachi who interjected, scowl on his face. "You weren't taking care of yourself. It was more than just you getting angry at Yoshida."

"Look—I j—" Dojima grit his teeth and sighed again. "I—I was being an idiot. Can we leave it at that? This isn't about me. Souji, do you want to wait a bit before they start the interview? I'm not going anywhere, either way."

Exhaustion pooled back in his body immediately. His uncle hadn't been taking care of himself... was it out of fear? Had it been stress? All because he had to go and investigate the TV. What questions were they going to ask him? He made himself go missing this time. It was out of stupidity, but it wasn't going to add anything to their investigation. If anything, it'd probably just make it worse. What could he say? How could he say it? He wanted time to think it over, think his answers through, fabricate through the hazy memories, but he wanted it over and done with. He was done with questions. Done.

"Get it over with..." he mumbled, looking blankly at the blankets covering his knees. "Uncle and Adachi-san get to stay or I'm not answering..."

He glanced to the injured detective who had started his way to the door, the man looking at him in surprise and confusion. There was a moment, Adachi looking at him and then looking at Dojima before looking back at him and slowly sitting back in his seat wordlessly, blush encompassing his cheeks. He nodded blankly when Hamasaki asked if it was all right for them to record the interview, reiterating they could stop it at any time if he got uncomfortable. He sighed deeply, watching tiredly as he watched the officers get everything set up, Hamasaki taking a seat next to Dojima, one of the officers handing her the folders while the other finished setting up the camera. They puttered around for a couple moments more, Hamasaki and Dojima asking him one more time if he was up to it, Souji nodding blankly in response. He heard the beeping of the camera, could see the red light gleaming at him. It was recording.

Souji glanced over at Hamasaki opening one of the folders on her lap, examining it before placing a small notepad on top of it, straightening her posture as she dipped the pen to the paper. She started delicately, asking if he knew what time it happened, if there was anybody else in the room at the time, if he could remember anything out of the ordinary.

"...All I remember is falling..." he mumbled, the sensation of the Shadows digging into his arms fading into his skin.

"Falling? Tell me more about that," she pursed her lips scribbling short notes. "Did you fall for a long time? Was it a short time? Did you feel yourself land?"

He nodded dimly, the memories flying through his brain at high speeds that he could barely collect them. "I fell... and... something dragged me... that's why I fell. I felt the ground when I hit... The IV stand landed next to me... it... rang a lot.."

"Something dragged you? Did you see what the 'something' was? Did they drag you out the window?"

"Claws... they dig into my skin and burn... There's no window... It's like I'm... swimming... and then I hit."

There's a pause, and he can feel Dojima watching him with a careful eye. He can see how tense his uncle is from his peripheral vision, and he can feel Adachi staring at him in concern. He's not looking at any of them, staring at nothing but the blankets over his legs. He can hear Hamasaki writing, a slight hum in her throat as she glides the pen over the paper, the clock ticking across the room, the slight whirring from the camera.

"Is there anything more you can tell me about the fall? Do you remember what happened before you fell?"

"...The TV was acting up..."

He thought he could feel Dojima and Adachi sharing a quick glance, before his uncle leaned close. "Like what happened at the house the first time you were kidnapped?"

Souji nodded solemnly. "The TV's don't like rain, I guess..."

"Rain?"

"...It was raining... they started up... The remote didn't work so I went to... turn it off myself... Then I was falling, claws digging in my arm... dragging me..."

"And you didn't see what was dragging you?"

"No..."

"And you were  _not_ close to a window?"

"No..."

There was a moment of silence, Dojima getting out of his seat and pulling Adachi to the side, whispering something to him in the corner of the room. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. What were they talking about? Was it about him? Was he saying the wrong things—did they think he was crazy?

"Do you remember if you felt the same falling sensation the first time you were kidnapped?" Hamasaki questioned, and he could hear her leafing through some papers in the file. "It says here you couldn't remember anything after you hit the TV in your home. Is the falling sensation ringing any bells for the first kidnapping?"

All eyes were on him. He could feel the camera aiming him down. Yamano's body was looking at him from up high. The yellow eyes scorching into his soul. Adachi's horrified expression as he looked to the glass in his shoulder.

"...Lots of claws... my arms burn... they're digging into my skin..."

"Did this happen the first time, too, Souji-kun? Do you remember?"

"Digging... into my skin... it hurts... There's so many of them... so many claws... It hurts. Nobody's there. I run and scream and scream and scream but nobody's there. They're chasing me. I hear them. The bubbling. They're not human. They're not human. They're not human."

"Souji? Souji, hey, hey, deep breaths. Take it easy."

His uncle's back at his side. Glass shard embedded in his chest—through his heart.

"Chasing me. Chasing me, chasing me. I fight and they're gone. There's a bear. He helps me. He runs away. They're back. There's lots... I fall. Everything hurts. It hurts hurts hurts. IV stand is in the way. I rip it out with my teeth. Blood. Think I chipped a tooth. Blood. Running. I run run run. They're chasing me. I hear them. They're not human."

"Souji, calm down."

"I'm trying to find the bear. He can help. He said he could help but he ran when they got close. I'm pulled inside. I'm home again. I'm home again like the first. I'm home again and the door is locked and there's banging and  _he's_  there and he's choking me and I get out this time. I run. I run up the stairs I want to run to my room but there's hallways and hallways and doors and doors and there's banging and there's banging and there's crying and there's yelling and I hear him and he's following me and I run I run I run—"

"Souji, calm down! That's enough! Souji, breathe!"

"He's mad. Mad mad mad. He wants me dead. Why am I alive. Worthless. Worthless. Worthless. Run to my parents room. Worthless. Worthless. Pictures written over. Why don't they love me? Worthless. I'm worthless. Nowhere to hide. He's there. He's there and he's on top of me and he's choking me I can't breathe—I can't breathe—I can't breathe—I want to live I can't breathe I can't breathe—"

"Souji-kun, you're safe, you're not there. Please, calm down."

"Can't breathe—Mom and Dad yelling at me—just wanted a bandaid—wanted a sketchbook—he shows me a magic trick—dragged off—Mom and Dad yelling at me—Worthless—Worthless—Worthless kid. Why don't they love me? Why don't they love me? Worthless. Worthless. I can't breathe. Uncle and Nanako and Chie there. Help me. Not worthless. He's yelling at me again. He kisses me. He's gone."

He took a sharp breath, letting it go after a moment's hesitation, the nurse at the bedside along Hamasaki and Dojima. He finally looked up, his uncle pale and trembling, Hamasaki and the nurse flooded with concern. He took another deep breath and looked at the camera. The red light stared at him.

"Souji... who's... who's 'he'?" his uncle questioned after a moment.

"Did you... see him? While he was... choking you?"

He nodded dimly.

"Can you identify who it was?"

He nodded again.

"Who was it? Can you describe them for me?"

"...It was me."

"...Sorry?"

He swallowed, feeling the hands tightening around his throat, the knocking at the door, the cracking in the windows, his forehead touching his, his breath on his mouth. "It was me."


	23. Chapter 23

“It... It was you? Souji, what do you mean?” His heart was racing a mile a minute after Souji retold his experience in fragmented sentences. Souji hadn't been listening to them, he was too caught up in his memories, the nurse was just about ready to put something into his IV drip. The heart monitor had been climbing off the charts, Souji's voice peaking in cracks and quivers as the words fell rapidly from this mouth, the teen rocking back and forth. He didn't look up at any of them until he was done, the monitor slowing in tempo.

There was too much for him to process all at once, trying to grasp onto Souji's statement as it whirled around his head at fifty paces. Dragged and falling... Not human... Choking him out... Wants him dead... Kisses him? The bastard kissed him?!

“It... was me...” Souji repeated, his voice quiet, eyes clouded over.

Dojima felt his stomach churn. Drugged. He was drugged. He had to have been drugged. The foreign substance in his system—it had to be an unidentified drug. The doctors said it wasn't a hallucinogen or anything of the sorts when they ran tests, only mystified when they connected it to Souji's slow healing process. It had to be something more—Souji kissed himself? Strangled himself with his bare hands? If it'd been a noose, he might have believed it, but they were hand marks on his neck, not rope burns. Besides, Souji still had his right arm in the sling from the dislocated shoulder, and, even if it wasn't, the hands were from someone standing in front of him, not him reaching up and squeezing his own throat.

Running his hands through his hair, Dojima stepped away from the bedside, steps shaky as he started to pace, trying to collect his racing thoughts. Souji mentioned rain when the TV's turned on. Had he unintentionally watched the Midnight Channel? He'd dragged Adachi to the side after his nephew mentioned that, asking what else his partner knew about the rumour. If it did tell someone's future, and Souji apparently only saw static, what did that mean? Did the kidnapper know about the Midnight Channel as well, or was it just coincidence that Souji disappeared while distracted by the phenomenon?

Souji didn't see who took him out of the hospital, they still had no leads. He was falling, but there was a moment where it felt like swimming? Claws? Burning his skin? He had no signs of burns on his body, but there were scratches on his arm, legs, and feet. Was he attacked by some kind of animal—perhaps a cat, or a dog, Souji was saying “they” weren't human... but, then, a bear? It wanted to help him, apparently, but ran off when the other animals... bubbled? Then he was dragged home, his parents' home, and he was locked inside with the kidnapper. He ran upstairs to get away, only for there to be hallways cornered in doors with screaming and crying. He ran to his parents' bedroom. Worthless was painted on the walls? The kidnapper started choking him out, and then kissed him?

“Did he do anything else to you?!” He whirled on his heel and leaned against the railing of the bed, his nephew watching him with fear. “Did he touch you? D—”

“Dojima-san, calm down, please,” Hamasaki interrupted, her face pale and burdened in concern. “You are not the one conducting the interview, and you're making your nephew anxious.”

He paused, holding his breath as he looked at Souji. “Did I do something... wrong?” the teen asked, “You're mad...”

He sighed and bowed his head, rubbing his face in his hands before he straightened himself and lightly pat his nephew on the head. “I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry, Souji. That was just... a lot to take in.”

“How about we take a break to collect ourselves? Dojima-san, Adachi-san, why don't you two go and get some refreshments? Souji-kun, are you hungry?”

The teen turned quiet, his gaze back to his knees under the blankets as he nodded silently. Hamasaki asked him what he wanted, but Souji remained quiet, the woman passing Dojima a short glance. He shrugged, figuring he could get Souji a light bowl of rice. With a soft push, he led Adachi out of the room, still finding it hard to regulate his breathing to stop his heart from racing.

“I... wasn't expecting that...” Adachi mumbled at his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

“Do I look okay?” he retorted, resting his head against the nearest wall. “They found no traces of drugs in his system, but what could cause... _that_? We still don't know how the kidnapper got into the hospital room, and Souji hallucinated himself as the kidnapper. Hallucinated himself in his parents' house, for Gods' sake! He must have thought he was safe there... Jesus...”

“Could it... Could it _be_ his parents?”

“Adachi, they're overseas. They...” He paused, slowly turning to the younger detective. Were they really working overseas? Did they have some ulterior motive for sending Souji to Inaba? Had he told Shiori about the spare key? He had a feeling it was brought up in a conversation once months ago. Yet, what would they be proving by kidnapping and mentally torturing their own son? Why would they do that? Pity? To play the victims? That... sounded plausible. They had made it all about them when they were finally came to visit Souji in the hospital. As it was, they had no alibi he actually knew of—he'd just _assumed_ they were overseas, but he didn't know if they really _were_. For all he knew, they were staying at the Amagi Inn under aliases.

“D-Dojima-san? You look like you're ready to arrest someone.”

“We don't know if they have an alibi,” he muttered, pushing away from the wall. “They could be responsible. They might not actually be overseas, they could just be putting on some kind of front.”

“Y-You mean I might be right? I was just saying that because I thought they were assholes...” Adachi stuttered, before a pout formed on his lips, looking up as he furrowed his brow in thought. “But what would their motive be? Why would they put their own son through that?”

“They weren't expecting him to revive at the first scene. They wanted to be the victims in all of this.” It was shaky, there were holes, but considering how the two acted in general, Souji's constant repeat of the word 'worthless', his gut was telling him it was right, to stick with the theory until it could be proven otherwise. “They wanted the attention and pity for the murder of their only son.”

“That's really... wow...” Adachi trailed off, seething into discomfort. “For siblings, you and your sister... well... she's... not what I expected...”

Dojima shook his head, slowly turning on his heel to head down the hall. “I used to look up to her.”

Adachi fell into step beside him, nodding solemnly. “That... This must be hard, Dojima-san. I mean, Souji-kun's one thing, but now your sister could be the suspect of kidnapping? That's just crazy... Do you think they had anything to do with Yamano?”

Dojima furrowed his brow, their steps resonating in the otherwise empty hallways. “No... If they _are_ involved with Souji's kidnappings, they would have tried to make it a copy-cat killing to keep suspicion off of them. They had perfect opportunity to do it, but actually being able to...” He grit his teeth, pausing mid-step as he brought his hand up to his chin in thought. There were so many holes, was he just trying to pin the blame on them without considering everything through thoroughly? There were the discrepancies between Yamano's disappearance and Souji's first disappearance, but, Souji's second disappearance matched more closely with Yamano's. There was no trace. Even if Yuudai and Shiori had resources, he wasn't sure they'd be able to enter and exit a hospital without leaving a mark, considering what had happened at the house. Had Yamano's killer executed his second disappearance? Were they working together? Dammit, they still had to check them for an alibi, why was he getting so worked up about questions he didn't know were plausible?

“Sir?”

“Let's not dwell on it too much,” he said, more to himself than to Adachi as he snapped to attention. “We'll have to ask Hamasaki to get an account of their whereabouts before we think on it too much.”

Adachi laughed hesitantly, crooked grin on his face as he tilted his head. “I think you already thought on it too much, Dojima-san. We should probably hurry to the cafeteria, I don't want Hamasaki-san sending a search team after us.”

“She would, wouldn't she?” he smirked, the two resuming their way back down the halls, Dojima tensing as they neared the cafeteria. They were on the upper floor, where Souji had broken back down after days of signs of mass improvement, when Shiori and Yuudai had arrived. The look of terror on his face, how he didn't even flinch at the IV ripping out of his hand, how he managed to run so far and so fast with nothing but adrenaline fuelling him. He hoped it wouldn't happen again, it was horrifying to see. Just watching Souji slip into his memories was enough to scare him. Poor fucking kid...

“Dojima-san, you okay there? You're zoning out again.”

He blinked, Adachi waving a hand in front of his face. “I'm fine.”

Adachi gave a grim grin. “I think you're still overthinking. How about I order everything in case you wander off into space again? What were you gonna get Souji-kun?”

“Just... a bowl of rice...”

“That's it? C'mon, Dojima-san, the kid deserves better than that. Here's the deal, I buy the stuff, you help me carry it.”

Dojima stared at his teammate, finding himself scowling as they continued down the hall to the stairs. “I can't let you do that.”

“Sir, I—”

“We're not arguing this. If anything, I'm paying for your shit, too.”

“Doji—”

“We may be off duty, but I'm still your superior. You tell me what you want.”

Adachi pouted, and the two found themselves bickering lightly, insisting they pay for everything, trying to one-up their reasons as to why they should be the one paying. Eventually, the two found themselves coming to a quick compromise when they reached the front of the line, splitting the payment in half, quickly scurrying away from the line with the food cradled in their arms as the customers behind them started to get agitated with their back-and-forth.

“Next time, get the kid more than just rice, Dojima-san,” Adachi commented as they made their way up the stairs, fidgeting as he tried to balance the food in his mobile arm.

Dojima rolled his eyes, short smile on his face before it fell. “He hasn't had much of an appetite. He'll probably have three bites of this and refuse any more.”

“...Oh.” There was a short pause, and he could hear Adachi humming in thought. “Couldn't you have just bought yourself one and shared it with him, then?”

Dojima stopped in his tracks, looking down at the food and beverages balanced in his arms. In hindsight, that would have made a bunch more sense. He turned and shrugged at the younger detective, small chuckle emitting from the back of his throat as they continued on their way back to Souji's room. The rest of the walk was quiet in conversation, their footsteps padding through the silence. The closer they got to the room, the more his mind started to ring up questions. Could Shiori and Yuudai actually be possible suspects? Would they really go so far to kidnap and try to murder their son—twice—just to gain sympathy?

The sight of Souji in the hospital bed always made his stomach churn and chest tighten. It was a possibility until proven otherwise. The teen was still so pale, so weak, tired, and drained of any kind of energy. His physical wounds were recovering faster than the first incident, which was good, but the light in his eyes hadn't returned yet. This time around, he figured it would take an even longer time for the light to return. He didn't blame the teen, experiencing so many traumatic events in such a short amount of time would take its toll on even the strongest of people, but he couldn't help but feel helpless sitting next to him. He wasn't good at comforting people, plus, with Souji's mental state the way it was, would he even be fit to take care of him? He wanted to try. He wanted to do better. He _had_ to; for Souji, for Nanako, for... for Chisato.

Even if Shiori and Yuudai weren't responsible for Souji's kidnapping and trauma, he was going to do whatever he could in order to get custody over him. The teen deserved more than them.

Opening the door to the hospital room, Dojima allowed Adachi inside first, following quietly after and heading straight to Souji's side as Adachi handed Hamasaki a bottle of juice and small meal they figured she'd enjoy. The teen was staring with half-lidded eyes at the ceiling, blinking slowly, as if he was going to fall asleep at any moment. Souji looked over at him without moving his head, and Dojima lightly lifted the bowl of rice for him to see.

“You hungry? I got some stuff on the side if you wanted more to it,” he explained, lightly placing everything down on a table nearby. “Got you some orange juice, too.”

“...Later...” Every time he spoke, he sounded more tired than the last time.

“Just tell me when you want it, all right?” He watched Souji nod slowly in confirmation, resuming to stare at the ceiling. He looked to his own food on the table, scowling lightly as he found he wasn't hungry anymore and sat as close to his nephew as he could.

He could feel Hamasaki and Adachi staring at him, but he tried to ignore it. Clasping his hands on his knees, he looked to the floor, finding his chest getting heavy with guilt the longer he looked at his relative. He let out a deep sigh, the atmosphere in the room quickly turning awkward and tense. His co-workers' conversation quieted down within minutes, and all that fell through the silence was the monitor strapped to Souji.

He perked up when Hamasaki cleared her throat, “Do you think you can finish the interview, Souji-kun?” she questioned hesitantly, setting her food down on the empty seat beside her.

Dojima glanced at his nephew, who hadn't stopped looking at the ceiling. Nearly a minute passed before Souji nodded dimly, slowly shuffling himself up into a sitting position, head lowered slightly as he stared the camera down.

“Don't push yourself, Souji,” he commented, digging his nails into his knees. “I'm sure they'd be more than happy to wait if you're tired.”

“...Just finish it...”

A chill shot down his spine as his body tensed. Had he pushed himself too far? Was he still pushing himself? Hamasaki tried to reiterate they could wait if he wasn't feeling well, but Souji just repeated the same sentence, just as tired, just as dead the first time he said it. A lump formed in his throat as they got everything set back up, Souji confirming that it was okay to start, and he watched the red light on the camera turn on.

“Remember, Souji-kun, if you ever get uncomfortable, we can stop.” Hamasaki opened the case files once more, grabbing her notepad and tapping her pen lightly on the page. “To go back a bit, do you remember if that happened the first time, Souji-kun? Did you also feel the falling sensation on your first kidnapping?”

“...Yes. Claws grabbing me. Try to hold on. Someone pushes my fingers away. Claws pull so hard. Shoulder hurts. I hit hard.”

“You 'hit hard'? Are you saying that you landed that time as well?”

Souji nodded slowly.

“Did you also feel this um... where was it... did you also feel a swimming sensation?”

He nodded again.

“You said you were holding onto something, do you remember what it was? Did you see who it was that pushed you?”

Dojima watched as Souji tensed up, slowly biting his lip as he felt helpless in the scenario. He couldn't even begin to imagine the horrors his nephew had experienced. That's why, when told he hadn't been, the teen was so adamant that he had to have been drugged, there was no way any of this made sense otherwise. His stomach churned as the questions continued, Souji's responses delayed and even more fragmented as it went on.

“You said that... you were the one kissing... you...” Hamasaki shifted uncomfortably in her seat, twirling her pen for a moment before touching it back to the notepad. “Was there anything that seemed off about... the other you? Was there a noticeable scar, blemish, different eye colour? What kind of clothes was he wearing?”

“...Yellow...”

“Yellow? What was yellow, Souji-kun?”

“Eyes...”

Contacts. The assailant had to be wearing contact lenses. Dojima crossed his arms, tapping his fingers as Hamasaki asked about any features different from Souji's own. He watched as Souji's brow furrowed after moments of silence, eyeing the nurse as she stood to attention as the monitor started to quicken in tones.

“Souji-kun? We can move onto another question. We can stop, if you want. Please don't push yourself.”

“...Forgetting something...” the teen mumbled, hunching forward further as his head dipped. Dojima stood up, lightly trying to push Souji to lie on his back, only for the teen to shove him away with a jerk of his shoulder. “...Colour... there's... a colour... what colour...? Watching me... Someone... in the colour... The... The card was...”

“Souji,” his voice cracked, the teen pushing even the nurse aside as he continued to mumble under his breath. The monitor was picking up faster. “Souji, don't push yourself. Calm down, it's okay, you don't have to remember right now.”

His words weren't reaching him again. The nurse tried herself, but he wasn't responding. He was mumbling something repeatedly under his breath that he couldn't quite catch, and he noticed the teen was trying to clench his left hand into a fist. Suddenly, Souji slumped over completely, and he could hear the monotone beep from the heart monitor. It only lasted a fragment of a second, but it was enough to send his entire body cold. Even as the beeps started again and continued slowly, Souji was still slumped over and unresponsive, passed out completely as the nurse pushed him back in the bed.

He couldn't remember when or how he got home, staring at his phone as it rested on Shiori's number.

 


	24. Chapter 24

He set his phone down on the counter as he opened the fridge. He was out of beer. Just great... Looking to the clock, he squinted at the time. It was one in the morning, and he couldn't remember a thing after Souji's touch with death. He still wasn't sure how he got home. Closing the fridge, he snatched his phone off the counter and stared hard at his sister's name. Did he tell her what had happened? Part of him wanted to, but the majority of him was saying no. If she answered, he'd be yelling at her. If it went straight to voicemail, he'd be yelling to that. No matter how he wrapped his head around scenarios, it all ended with him yelling. He didn't need to do that.

He faltered as he looked back at the clock. He couldn't pick up another pack of beer since Junes would be closed, but the Shiroku Pub would still be open for a couple more hours. Part of him was telling him to just go to sleep and drink another day, but the majority was telling him to drink until he couldn't remember his own name.

Sighing heavily, Dojima grabbed his coat, that had apparently been thrown hazardously onto the couch, and headed outside. Locking the door behind him, he stared for a moment, his fingers pressed so tightly onto the keys that he could see them turning white. The examined evidence of Souji's first disappearance came rushing into his mind; the kidnapper had used the spare key, traces of dirt from the plant had been found inside the key-hole. There were signs of someone using the key, but managed to obstruct their fingerprints with gloves or some other material. He was glad he got the locks changed as soon as he was able; even with the spare key gone, he hated leaving Nanako home alone. The different locks put him a little more at ease.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, his steps were heavy as he started his way down the road. The night air nipped at his face, the roads illuminated only by the streetlights―clouds were rolling in. It was going to rain for the next couple of days. Souji's kidnappings both happened around midnight on rainy nights. This time, he was going to do everything it took to make sure his nephew was safe, even if it meant sitting outside the hospital room on the floor for however many nights the rain lasted.

"Dojima-san?"

His head perked up at the sound of his name, turning to look over his shoulder to see Hamasaki a few paces behind him. She quickly jogged to his side after catching his eye, concern on her face. "What are you doing out so late?"

Dojima laughed dryly, "Getting a beer, Mom."

"Okay, Pops, first of all, you're ten years older than me," she jabbed, lightly shoving on his arm. "Second of all, I am right there with you."

Dojima paused, quirking an eyebrow as he squinted at his co-worker, "Aren't you a recovering alcoholic?"

"Ssh, I'll get soda and get drunk off the atmosphere," she smirked before it fell back into an awkward silence. The woman suddenly looked downcast, avoiding his gaze, twirling a loose bang in her finger. "...I'm sorry."

His heart dropped, biting his lip and looking away. "Don't be. You were just doing your job."

"And doing my job made Souji-kun..." she paused, breathing in sharply as she cut herself off. "I shouldn't have asked for the second interview. He wasn't up for it, and I  _knew_  he wasn't up for it, but I still―"

"Hamasaki, please." He stopped walking curtly, cutting her off by holding his arm in front of her. "Stop. Just... stop. Nobody's blaming you, all right? It wasn't your fault."

"I―"

"Stop."

"Yes, sir. Sorry."

He gave her a small, apologetic smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder before they continued their walk in silence. The only person to blame was the one who put Souji through all of this. They were crafty―someone who could make a hallucinogenic drug that didn't show up as such, someone who made Souji believe he was talking to himself, strangling himself, something to make him think he was in his childhood home. Could the drug tap into his subconscious? Why would Souji imagine himself and not his mom or dad harming him? Had they done the same with Yamano? There had been traces of something foreign in her body, but it was ruled out quickly as having nothing to do with the case. Was it actually related? Had she been drugged the same way?

"He seems like a good kid..." He jumped out of his thoughts as Hamasaki spoke softly. "It's horrible this had to happen."

Dojima paused for a moment, another sad smile embellishing his face. "Before he arrived in Inaba, the last time I saw him he was barely past my waist. I don't think he remembers the times I visited, but he would always grab my hand and drag me to his room to show me his drawings, or how he coloured something in a new sketchbook. He always seemed like such a happy kid, I never would have realized..."

"Adachi was telling me what he's heard about your sister..." she let out a heavy breath before continuing. "He also told me how you suspect her and her husband of being possible suspects... and I might have let that slip to the boss... I have the pleasure of phoning your sister tomorrow to ask for her alibi."

"I have a feeling she'll refuse to answer whether she's innocent or not," he grumbled, cupping his chin between his index finger and his thumb. "Maybe, if you could get her boss' number..."

"Ooh, that's sneaky. I like it. Good plan."

"You make it sound like we're trying to rob a store."

"We're trying to rob your sister of the truth!" Hamasaki beamed proudly, before she cocked an eyebrow and faltered. "And I have robbed myself of making sense!"

He found himself chuckling and shaking his head lightly. The walk was shifted back into silence, but it found itself a bit more comfortable than before. They were close to the shopping district, the purple lights from the pub brightening up the dark night. He was about to round the corner when Hamasaki tugged on his sleeve, her face suddenly stone cold in serious tension.

Blinking slowly, Dojima turned on his heel and furrowed his brow in question. "What's wrong?"

"I've wanted to bring it up for a while and I hate, hate,  _hate―_ " she seethed, running her hands messily through her hair until she unravelled her bun. "It's about Adachi."

His body tensed. "Adachi? What about him?" This wasn't going to be some confession of a crush, she was too worked up and too rigid. Or, maybe confessing a crush did work like that, he wasn't sure. He quietly hoped that's all it was.

"I was reviewing the case files the other day and―" she paused, looking over her shoulders in paranoia before dragging him to the bus stop nearby, forcing him to sit down with her so she could whisper awkwardly. "Nanako's statement for the first kidnapping. She said she heard someone leaving the house in a rush before she got out of her room to investigate. Despite all that, the kidnapper had time to bury your spare key again, and haul Souji-kun off in a matter of seconds. According to her, Adachi arrived at the doorstep not long after the assailant left the house. How could he not have seen anything, if that were the case?"

He squinted in disbelief, the woman staring right back at him. She was branding Adachi as a suspect. He didn't want to discredit his own daughter for lying, but she'd just been woken up late at night to a scary situation. Adachi had been there to comfort both Nanako and Souji. He even owed Adachi his life.

"Look, Dojima-san, I know he's your friend, he's mine, too, but―and did I mention I  _hate_  that I'm saying this―you have to admit that something's... wrong," she was slow with her words, like she was explaining it to herself just as much as she was for him. "And, I know what you must be thinking. 'Nanako-chan was tired and scared and fabricated the time-frame in her panic!'... But... one of your neighbours woke up after the TV fell. They were looking out their window immediately and watched for ten minutes before going back to bed. They didn't see anybody leave, Dojima-san. As far as I'm aware, they didn't even see Adachi walking to your house."

"You... You think he did it?" the words fell out of his mouth and felt like they weren't his own. His stomach was knotting and his chest was aching. He was making her buy his first beer.

"I don't  _want_  to think he did it, but it's just... something that's been bugging me."

He couldn't deny it, it was a bit strange for Adachi to appear without seeing anybody leave. But what exactly did that mean? Adachi was with him when the call for the body was found, and was consoling Nanako beforehand... He had no motive for it. Tohru Adachi, the spaced out idiot who saved his life, kidnapping his nephew?

"Souji was found strung up on the antenna while we were investigating the house," he recounted, shuddering at the chill that crawled down his spine at the memory of his nephew's corpse. "Adachi was there the entire time. He brought Nanako to the station for you to watch over. What would his motive even be? Even if he just helped someone kidnap Souji, what purpose would he have to do it? Besides, he was with me the night Souji's second kidnapping occurred, and knowing him, he's not the kind of guy to hurt a fly, let alone attempt murder twice."

There was a heavy pause, Hamasaki twisting and pulling on her hairband between her fingers. "...I don't know... I don't know," she mumbled, and he could hear a slight waver in her voice. "Maybe it is just all a coincidence―he saved your life, for crying out loud―but... I can't shake it. Something's wrong, and... and it just... He's my  _friend_ , he's  _our_  friend, yet I keep thinking he has something to do with it."

"If I can throw suspect on my sister..." he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was starting to get a headache. "Considering the circumstances, I can understand. This case is just one big mess after another; I think we're just trying too hard to find someone to pin the blame on."

"Even if it doesn't make sense..." she laughed tiredly before slowly standing. "C'mon, Pops, I owe you around twelve beers as an apology. I didn't need to bother you with all of that on top of everything else."

"You got one more time to call me 'Pops'. Use it wisely," he smirked, the two of them finally rounding the corner towards the pub.

"Of course, Dojima-san."

The majority of himself was saying to drink until he forgot that was even his name.


	25. Chapter 25

"I'm home."

"Dad!" Nanako beamed, running up and greeting him at the door. "How was work?"

"I helped a woman get her cat out of a tree," he smiled tiredly. "You would have liked it. Had a little patch of fur like a heart on its forehead."

Her eyes lit up in wonder. "Really?! That's so cute!"

He lightly shook the bag in his hand as they headed to the living room. "You hungry? I got us some sushi."

"I really wanted sushi, too!" she giggled, lightly taking the bags from his hands and setting them on the table.

They shared their meal in mostly contemplative silence, the two exchanging short details about their day before Nanako directed her focus on the TV and Dojima drifted into his thoughts. He hadn't been back at work long, and Adachi had only returned that morning. The majority of the office was chastising him; apparently the doctor had told him to stay out of work for another week or two, but Adachi decided to head back in early. To compromise, he was given four hour shifts and nothing but paperwork to file. Dojima himself was given menial tasks, helping with the paperwork or doing the odd jobs that got called in, like getting cats out of trees. Adachi had tagged along with him on the cat case, the two chatting mindlessly as they walked to the scene.

Through the lighthearted banter and conversation, Dojima had thought back to his night with Hamasaki, the woman accusing Adachi of being a possible suspect in Souji's kidnapping. He was convinced she was just trying to wrap her head around the oddities of the case any way that she could, even if it meant blaming a friend. Under normal circumstances, Dojima might have done the same, but nothing about this case was ordinary anymore, and he couldn't find it in himself to put blame on the man that saved his life. Adachi had no motive, for one, and it just... didn't fit his character. Despite being the best shot in the entire station, the man still tripped over his words and feet more times in a day than he could count. Dojima just couldn't imagine Adachi trying anything of the sort.

"Dad?"

"Hm?" he perked up at Nanako's inquisitiveness, pausing mid-bite of his food as he looked to his daughter.

"We can visit him again, right?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to look at her father or keep her attention on the TV. "He's better now?"

"Yeah," he answered, absent-mindedly clenching tighter onto his chopsticks. "I said we were going tonight, didn't I?"

Nanako nodded curtly before she looked to her food in hesitation. "Um... before we go... can we go to Junes? I filled up my sketchbook and... and I want to draw him something! I wanna draw it before we get there!"

He faltered for a moment, until a smile fell on his face. "How about we go after we eat?"

"Okay!" She grinned, until it fell back to a hesitant glance. "...Is he going to have to stay in the hospital forever?"

"No, Nanako, don't worry." He watched as she poked at her food absentmindedly, a knot catching in his chest at the sight. "He'll be coming home soon, I'm sure of it."

"Okay..." She was silent for a couple of moments more, until she seemed to brighten with a sudden idea. "Dad?"

"Mhm?"

Nanako pouted, as if mulling over what she'd wanted to ask. "Mmm... Nevermind! I'll ask later."

"Oh? You can ask now."

"No! I have to ask later!"

He found himself chuckling lightly at her persistence, the girl continuing to pout lightly before they resumed their dinner in a quiet peace. After they were done and cleaned up, Dojima waited at the front door as Nanako scurried around to grab her coat, change purse, and box of pencil crayons. She greeted him at the door with a skip to her step and a smile of excitement on her face, Dojima locking the door behind them as they left. Like dinner, for the most part, the car ride was silent, Nanako hurriedly tugging on his hand as they walked through the nearly vacant parking lot. Despite himself, he found himself taking a glance at the antenna they had found Souji strung up on. A knot clenched in his stomach as a chill ran down his spine, remembering when they got him down, remembering how he held the teen in his arms, his lips blue, his face as white as porcelain. He remembered the whirlwind of emotions when Souji had miraculously revived, remembered the fear and helplessness when he slipped into death's territory more times than he could count before stabilizing. He remembered just a couple of days ago, when Souji knocked on death's door briefly again.

He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when they entered the store, the cheery music placing him back in reality. The mall itself was fairly empty compared to usual, the cloudy weather enough to keep most people inside. He remembered the rainy nights at the hospital where he stayed outside of Souji's room until Hamasaki forced him home. With Souji's hesitant permission, they'd installed a hidden camera inside the room, as nobody was allowed inside at the time except for hospital personnel. Three rainy nights passed, and nothing happened. Dojima wasn't allowed to review the footage for himself, curious about how Souji reacted to the Midnight Channel, but Hamasaki assured him that Souji slept through most of it. She didn't mention anything unusual happening with the TV either; did it not show up on camera? Considering how important it was that Souji was kidnapped while distracted by the TV twice, she would have mentioned it if something had happened.

"Dad, are you gonna get another TV for your room?" Nanako inquired as they slowly strolled through the store, staring at the electronics as they passed.

"I haven't thought about it. I didn't really watch it, other than putting on the weather channel in the morning. Why do you ask?"

"I just felt bad... Cuz that was your TV."

Dojima laughed. "It's  _our_  TV, Nanako. I don't mind it being in the living room, don't worry."

"Okay."

They continued slowly through the store, Dojima glancing into the aisles as Nanako led him to the art supplies, wondering if there was anything he could get the teen. Maybe he could get him a book to read, he just... didn't know what Souji liked. It was easier when he went for short visits, when Souji at Nanako's age. He didn't get to make those visits to the city as often when he got promoted, and had even less time after Nanako was born. He never got to learn much about his nephew when he reached his teen years. He'd been hoping for the chance, but with everything that happened, he still didn't have the chance to. He'd barely even had the chance to think about it on Souji's arrival. So many things just happened at once, he had a hard time recollecting how long Souji had even been in Inaba for. Most of his time had been spent in a hospital, or scared out of his mind.

"Dojima-san!"

He paused, turning to look over his shoulder at the call of his name. Yosuke waved to him before briskly walking over. The kid was still in uniform. Dojima turned to give the teen his full attention, and he could feel Nanako hanging off the back of his shirt as she peered around his side.

"You finding everything you need?" Yosuke questioned, taking the apron from his uniform and wiping his hands on it. Yosuke was tense, even his customer-service speech sounded strained. Something was wrong. "Can I help you find anything?"

"My daughter's looking for some sketchbooks. Isn't that right, Nanako?" he nodded briefly at the girl who ducked behind his back.

"Ooh, an artist, huh? We just got a shipment of some new colouring books in today, too. They're pretty cute. I can show you, if you want." Yosuke grinned a little sheepishly, peering to look at Nanako.

"Lead the way." He nodded again, Yosuke briefly sparing him a relieved glance before directing them to the aisle with the books. He waited at the start of the aisle as Yosuke led Nanako further in, crouching down and flipping through a couple of the sketchbooks and colouring books he assumed had just been brought in and stocked. He watched Nanako's eyes light up as Yosuke showed her one of the colouring books, the girl promptly grabbing it and sitting on the floor to leaf through the pages. There was a brief moment before the teen was stalking back down the aisle, his form hunched and tense as he stepped in front of Dojima.

"I don't know how to phrase this, so I'm just gonna say it..." Yosuke sighed, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, before whispering harshly, "My dad wants to file a lawsuit."

Sparing a quick glance at Nanako, who was still looking through the book, Dojima crossed his arms and leaned against the shelf behind him, unintentionally scowling at the teen. He noted the scar on Yosuke's cheek, and he could feel the weight of the world back on his shoulders. "Well, I can't blame him," he grumbled, digging his fingers tightly into his sleeves, finding himself at a loss for words.

"My dad's cheap, so I think when he sees the price of a lawyer, he'll take it all back and never bring it up again." Yosuke bit his lip and glanced off to the side, glaring at the wall. It looked like he had more he wanted to say, but was deciding against it. Dojima assumed Yosuke was doing it for his sake; figuring that the kid wanted to go through with the lawsuit, but was too scared to say anything straight to his face. He didn't blame them for it; Souji attacked... with the intent to kill.

He was mentally unstable and hallucinating, yes, but...

He couldn't blame them. Maybe weeks ago, he would have yelled like he had at Yoshida, but now? He watched Adachi come into work, unable to lift his arm higher than his head. Adachi never talked about it―never brought it up, didn't even mention it when it was obviously causing him discomfort or pain, the detective deliberately avoiding the subject for  _his_  sake. If Adachi wanted to file a lawsuit, he couldn't blame him.

"I just... wanted to let you know. I'll... see you around. If you need any help finding anything, I'll be... somewhere." Snapping out of his thoughts, he watched as Yosuke walked away without a chance for him to respond. Just as soon as he left, Nanako came running up with a colouring book in her hands.

"Look, Dad! It's got a bunch of kitties and puppies to colour! Can I get this one?"

He smiled, despite the knot in his throat and the weight in his chest. "Don't you want a sketchbook, too? Go grab one, I'll get you both."

"Really?! Thanks, Dad! You're the best!"

The car ride was filled with Nanako's cheery humming and scribbling of her pencils as she coloured in one of her books. The drive to the hospital felt like it took days, his mind running circles, asking so many questions that he'd asked many times before, piling more and more on top of them with the news of a possible lawsuit. Focusing on the road and where he was going was all he could do to try to keep the questions at bay. It felt like days until they were roaming through the hospital halls, nurse happily chatting at his side before she stopped outside of Souji's room.

"Physically, his condition has improved dramatically! He's started physical therapy for his shoulder, and he's responding really well. Mentally, however..." the woman paused briefly, taking a quick look at the charts in her arm before smiling hesitantly. "He's still experiencing PTSD and depression-like symptoms, so, thanks to this, it's difficult to get answers out of him, but he is responsive. Yes or no questions are the best way to communicate. Patience goes a long way. He's making a great recovery now, all things considered."

Her smile faltered again before she caught Nanako's eye, the woman kneeling down to her level. "Your big bro might not answer you, but I bet if you show him your cute colouring book, he'll be really happy! Wait right here, I'll go tell him he has visitors."

Dojima smirked a little, looking down at Nanako who was clutching the book to her chest, eyebrows stitched together in confusion. "Big bro...?"

"He's ready to see you now. If you have any troubles, just press the call button and I'll be right there."

"Thank you."

After the nurse headed back down the hallway, Dojima slowly opened the door, lightly nudging Nanako into the room as she still had her brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn't help but smile as he closed the door behind them, Souji sitting up in the bed without an accompanying slouch. Even from where he was standing, he could see that the teen had regained a considerable amount of colour back in his face. Souji stared at them blankly, before lifting his right arm―now free from its sling―and gave them a short wave while they situated themselves on the seats.

"...She thought you were my dad..." Souji muttered blankly before Dojima had a chance to speak. "I got scared... until she said sister."

There was a brief flicker of a smile on the teen's face before it faded, the light in his eyes dimming away as his gaze was directed at the blankets over his knees. It was a good sign, at least, that he spoke so earnestly almost immediately, even if it wasn't for long. Dojima looked to Nanako who had scooted closer to the bed, opening the colouring book to a certain page and sliding it onto Souji's lap, blush on her face.

"I um... I coloured this for you, um... big bro!" She puffed up as she said the nickname, like she was trying to hide her embarrassment. "It's got things on the side so we can rip the page out super easy if you want to keep it! I-I thought it might make you happy! I um..."

His daughter slowly shuffled into a fidgeting silence as Souji slowly grabbed the book in his hands, staring at it without a word or acknowledgement of emotions. Dojima was about to say something before Nanako was back leaning over the bed, pointing as best as she could to a cat on the page.

"I drew a heart on that one's forehead cuz Dad helped save someone's cat from a tree! He said there was a heart on it, right, Dad?"

"Yeah. Almost right in the center, too. It was really cute," Dojima sighed lightly as he shook his head. "Cat didn't think I was so friendly though. Wouldn't stop growling the entire time. Adachi was laughing his ass off with how agitated the cat was sounding by the time I got it down."

"It didn't scratch you, did it?!"

"Don't worry, Nanako. All it did was puff up and growl."

"That's good." She plopped back down in her seat, kicking her legs lightly, her shoes tapping against the legs of her chair.

Souji continued to look down at the colouring book, Dojima taking notice that the teen's fingers were starting to shake a little. "Big... bro..." he barely heard the teen mumble, Souji lowering his head and blocking his face from view.

"Souji? Are you all right?" he questioned in concern, placing a hand on his nephew's trembling shoulder.

The teen gave a short nod, completed with an affirmed whimper before he lifted his head, eyes brimming with tears and face glowing with a smile. He stared at his uncle for a long while before turning his attention to Nanako.

"Thank you..."


	26. Chapter 26

Chie pouted at the text on her phone. Yukiko hadn't been at school again today, and wasn't going to make it tomorrow because she had to help out at the inn. Was it really the busy season again? Nah, it couldn't be, time didn't go _that_ fast. Sighing, she shoved her phone back into her jacket, resting her chin in her palm as she glanced around lazily at the students slowly filing into the classroom from lunch. For the third day in a row, she had an empty desk in front of her, and an empty desk beside her. She was used to the empty one beside her, considering Souji was still recovering from everything that had happened to him. How long had it been now? Months? Nooo, she didn't want to think about it, time wasn't supposed to go _so_ fast.

Though, it did look like he was improving a lot when she finally managed to visit him again two weeks ago. Maybe she could squeeze in the time to visit him again after school. She felt bad she couldn't pop in a little bit more, but it felt like they were piling on more and more homework while more and more kung-fu movies were being released. It was hard to keep track of both!

She turned at the sound of a chair behind her scraping along the floor, leaning back in her own chair to stare at Yosuke as he sat down. His shoulders were hunched and he had a scowl on his face, which wasn't unusual in the morning, but at lunch? Now _that_ was weird. He glanced at her slowly, quirking an annoyed eyebrow once he met her gaze.

"What?"

"You look grumpy," she noted, tilting her head to the side. "You doing okay, Yosuke?"

He stared at her for a long while before sighing and rolling his eyes. "None of your business."

"Aw, c'mon, Yosuke, I'm just trying to be nice here."

"And it's still none of your business."

She pouted again, crossing her arms. "Fine then, keep your secrets! I'll just turn back in my seat and talk to nobody!"

Yosuke scoffed, before resting his head on the desk. "Knock yourself out."

Her pout softened into concern at how tired Yosuke suddenly seemed. He seemed happier that morning, which was a huge feat, seeing as how he wasn't a morning person. She wondered what happened to make him so upset? He didn't want to talk about it, and as much as she wanted to pester him into telling her, she also didn't want to alienate the only person she talked to in homeroom away. Blowing at her bangs, she leaned back to her desk, picking out her books from her bag and lazily leafing through the notes. Chie hoped there was enough for Yukiko to pick up on the subject matter; no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on note-taking, she'd zone out halfway through the lecture before snapping back into it.

Squinting at a page, she leaned in close as she re-read parts of her notes for math. Did she miss a step? How did she get that? She was missing steps! Probably like five! Man, she wasn't any help to herself, let alone Yukiko! She'd concentrate better this time for sure! Wait... they didn't even have math today. Crap, then what class was next?! What day even was it anymore?!

Letting out a giant groan, Chie faceplanted into her book, whining into the pages as she let her arms droop. She could feel the stares of her classmates before they went back to their own business, idle chatter filling the room. She could hear the door slide open as more students filed into the room. She could hear their shoes scuffling around, the scraping of chairs as they were pulled out from their desks. She tensed at the sound of chair beside her moving, lifting her head harshly at the sound as she looked, ready to yell, only to freeze at the sight of Souji sitting at the desk next to hers. She blinked in a stupor, looking back at Yosuke to see if he could confirm what she was seeing, only to realize Yosuke had covered his head with his arms and was even more tense-looking than five minutes ago. She looked back to Souji, the teen catching her eye and giving her a short wave. Still unsure of what to do, she hesitantly lifted her hand and poked his arm.

He was definitely sitting there, no mistaking that... Just to make sure though, she hesitantly poked him again. Yep, still sitting there. Her thoughts churned in happiness and confusion. Was he really well enough to be out of the hospital? Sure, he seemed way way better when she saw him two weeks ago, but was it still okay for him to be here?

"Are you okay...?" She blinked slowly at Souji's question, his head tilted lightly and the smallest of amused smiles on his face.

She laughed hesitantly, scratching the back of her head. "I just―you're here! In school! Out of the hospital! I can't believe it! Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Not really..." his smile faded and he turned back in his seat, lightly glancing around the classroom. Chie froze, and noticed the murmurs and whispers that flooded around, stares focused on Souji. "But... I wanted to try..."

"W-Well, if you need any help, I can tutor you!" She froze. "I-I mean I can share my notes! I'm already sharing them with Yukiko, she's missed a lot of school to help out at her family's inn, so it's no biggie! I don't think I'd be a good tutor, though."

She glared at the sound of Yosuke scoffing behind them, turning in her chair to stick out her tongue before putting her attention back on Souji. There was another small smile on his face, but he kept looking towards the front of the class.

"Thank you, Chie."

"H-Hey, no need to thank me! We're friends, right? That's what friends do!" She beamed, before looking back at her notebook. "I hope you can read my writing. I mean, Yukiko can, but she's known me for years, y'know? I wish she was here today, I bet she'd actually like to talk to you! She never got the chance to visit with me because she's been so busy, and..."

She trailed off, noticing that Souji's smile had disappeared and he was continuing to stare at the front of the class. His expression was vacant now, like his mind had wandered to different things. Chie tensed, fidgeting lightly. Was she talking too much? She remembered the nurses saying something about his response times, but couldn't really remember it all that well. She let out a quiet sigh and forced a smile. She knew Souji didn't mean to ignore her.

"You okay...?"

She perked up again, Souji still wasn't looking at her, but the question was definitely directed _at_ her.

"F-Fine! Totally fine! Don't worry about me, Souji-kun!"

She heard Yosuke scoff again. Jeez, what was his deal?! She didn't have time to turn around and glare at him again when the bell went off, the rest of the class quickly getting into their seats, some still murmuring and casting glances at Souji's direction. She saw someone lean over and place a hastily made origami crane onto his desk, and she could see words on the wings. Souji just kept looking towards the front of the class. It wasn't until halfway through the lecture that she saw Souji jump a little, grabbing the crane and looking around. Chie couldn't help but smile when he gave the girl a short wave after she signalled that she made the crane.

That little distractions made it hard to focus. She was doing her best to take notes for herself and Yukiko, but then she got distracted at the fact that Souji _wasn't_ taking notes and she'd lose track of what she was writing and miss an explanation. All-in-all, Chie wasn't sure she learned much of anything, and her notes were nothing but unintelligible chicken-scratch missing bits and pieces of information. She pouted at her notebook, scratching behind her ear with her pencil as the final bell of the day rang out. She leaned back in her chair in a huff, arms dangling at her side in defeat before she jumped up and turned to look at Yosuke. Maybe he could share his notes! They could all study together at Junes and go over what Souji'd missed! Her smile of expectancy fell when she saw him already walking out of the classroom in a rush, practically running, it seemed like. That was strange, he said he didn't work today. What was the big rush all about?

Frowning, she turned back to Souji, who was still staring off into space, even as a couple of classmates crowded around and asked him questions. She quickly butt in before someone got upset or mad at Souji's lack of communication. Eventually, the class was nearly empty, Souji continuing to stare ahead before he suddenly snapped his head to look at his notebook, grabbing his pen and scribbling down words with a shaky hand. Chie watched in silence, kicking her feet lightly as she watched him write down... the notes from that day's lessons. His points were simple and brief, and there she was trying to write everything word-for-word.

"...You don't have to stay..." he mumbled, setting his pencil down.

She blinked slowly before waving her hands defensively. "No, it's okay! I don't mind! I was thinking we could maybe walk home together? I can show you a bunch of places, too, if you're up to it!"

"...That sounds nice... but I should go... home..." Souji trailed off as he picked up his pencil and wrote down a few more notes, before closing the book and shoving it in his bag.

"Then I can walk you home! Where do you live? Maybe it's near my house!"

Souji nodded dimly but didn't say anything more, instead getting out of his seat and walking towards the door. Quickly, Chie shoved her books into her bag and followed him. Souji's movements were stiff and slow, Chie finding herself bouncing on the spot as she waited for him at his locker, and finding she had to take a couple steps back as they walked off the school grounds to stay at his side.

"Y'know, I was kinda hoping Yosuke would have stuck around for a bit. I think you and him could get along really well! He's been acting a bit funny lately, but I j―"

"...It's okay... He should hate me..."

She paused mid-step, feeling a cold chill run down her spine. "H-Hate you? I'm sure he doesn't hate you! He barely knows you! Why would he hate you, Souji-kun? You're nice and―"

She stopped herself as Souji kept walking without another word, slowly catching up to him when she realized he wasn't going to wait. She never said anything about Yosuke hating him. What brought that on? She just thought something happened to Yosuke at work, like Saki rejecting him for a date or something, and that's why he was acting funny some days, but... Did it have something to do with that scar on his cheek? He never wanted to talk about it. Did Souji know something?

Biting her lip, she held her breath and crossed her arms, trying to force the questions out of her mouth. It wasn't any of her business. Her curiosity could stay curious. She didn't want to bother Souji too much, after all. It was pretty much his first official day at school!

"So, um... how'd you uh... like... today's classes?" she asked, slowly letting her arms fall back to her side.

Souji didn't answer. Instead, she watched him stop in his tracks and grab his phone out of his pocket, scrolling through it before wordlessly showing her the device. She blinked slowly at the screen, before realizing she was looking at an email with the address for a house.

"Is that where you live?"

Souji nodded dimly. She paused, looking to see where they were and trying to get a visual map of the town in her head. He didn't know how to get back home, and she didn't go down that way too often. It was near the Samegawa though, maybe that'd be a good starting point.

"All right, I think I can get us there! No problem!" She grinned, Souji nodding dimly again and putting his phone back in his pocket.

Souji was silent throughout the walk, but she didn't mind. He'd give some semblance of answers, or a brief smile or laugh as she talked, and that was enough for her. Maybe one day she'd get to have a full conversation, where there would be back-and-forth between the two. She didn't mind waiting for that, she was just glad he was okay and out of the hospital. It was so refreshing to actually see him moving around! She hated visiting that hospital room! It always smelled of citrus, and it was always _way_ too strong. Like she did then, though, she asked if she could tell him about the latest things she'd seen about her kung-fu movies. Even if he wasn't looking at her as she spoke, she still knew he was humouring her at least.

"...and then there was this super BRIGHT flash of blue light―it like covered up the whole screen! And then the DVD froze and it scared the crap out of me because it just let out this creepy whirring sound and I―I... S-Souji-kun? Are you okay?" She paused, turning on her heel at Souji suddenly stopping. He was looking pale and clutching his head. Oh no, did she say something wrong?

"Souji-kun? You okay?" she questioned again, taking a short step forward. "C-C'mon, let's sit down. How about under that tree?"

Hesitantly, she touched his arm to try to lead him to the tree, only for him to jerk away and fall to the ground, bringing his legs to his chest and burying his head in his knees as he continued to grip tightly onto his hair. Chie paused, mind blanking as it rattled with panic and worry. What did she say? Why was he so upset? What could she do to help him?! She didn't want to force him anywhere and make it any worse! She needed help... Oh, duh!

Ripping her phone out of her pocket, she scrolled through her contact list and dialed Dojima's number, bouncing hesitantly on the spot as Souji stayed as he was. She was kind of thankful there was nobody around here.

"Dojima speaking. Is something wrong, Chie?"

She froze for a second at Dojima's voice, trying to recalculate her thoughts.

"Is Souji with you?"

Jeeze, was he a mind-reader, too?!

"Y-Yeah, a-and he just kinda started um... freaking out... I guess?" she stammered. "I-I was just talking about this movie I was watching and th-then he just kinda stopped walking and was holding onto his head. I-I tried to get him under a tree for some shade but he... uh... fell to the ground and... I don't want to um... I just..."

"Calm down, Chie. Where are you now?"

"We-We're near the Samegawa Floodplain. Um, I―"

"Would you mind staying with him? I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Y-Yeah, sure, no probl―" she was cut off by the dial tone, the rest of her sentence trailing into silence as she flicked her phone shut. Hesitantly, she sat down on the ground, holding her knees to her chest and watching Souji closely, unsure of what else to do. She could hear him mumbling under his breath, but couldn't make out what he was saying. She wasn't sure how much time had passed until Souji finally lifted his head, sniffling quietly and wiping his eyes.

She didn't move as she asked, "Are you okay, Souji-kun?"

He froze, turning to look right at her, like a deer caught in the headlights. Had he forgotten she was there? His lip quivered a little as he looked away, "I'm... I'm sorry..."

"Huh?! You have nothing to be sorry for, Souji-kun! Don't worr―"

He interrupted, furrowing his brow in pain. "...Did I... hurt you...?"

Chie paused, the cold chill running back down her spine. "N-No, I'm fine! You just scared me a little, that's all."

He stared off into the distance, falling back into a silence past his quiet hiccups and sniffling. She was still too scared to move until she heard the sound of a car door closing nearby, slowly getting to her feet when she saw Dojima rushing over, followed by someone behind him. Souji turned to look, straightening himself out at the sight of his relative. The concern on Dojima's face was the most apparent thing the world as he looked to his nephew.

"Are you okay, Souji?" he asked, Souji nodding slowly in response, the teen awkwardly shuffling to pick himself off the floor. Dojima gently helped him up before looking to Chie. "Thank you for staying with him. Are you all right?"

She nodded firmly, "I'm fine!"

"That's good. C'mon, Souji, let's get you home, all right? Do you want a ride, Chie?"

"Huh? Oh, no, that's okay! I don't want to be a bother or anything. I live in the opposite direction, so..." She fidgeted in embarrassment, feeling her face heat up. Suddenly, Yosuke's voice was in her head, taunting her about having a crush. Ooh, she was so gonna kick his butt for that later! Sure, it'd been weeks since he'd said it, but it still warranted a good butt-kicking! Oh, and she could still take him up on that offer for lunch.

"I can walk home, it's no trouble, Dojima-san! You feel better, okay, Souji-kun?" She beamed, Dojima hesitantly agreeing as he led Souji back to the car. Dojima stopped to pass some parting words to the man that had run up with him before continuing on his way with Souji.

When the two were out of sight, the man rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before turning to Chie. "Sorry about all that. You must have been scared, huh?"

"W-Well, I mean, a little..." She admitted, scanning the stranger. Judging by his uniform, even if it was unkempt, he was an officer like Dojima, too.

He must have seen her eyeing him, because he suddenly jumped to attention. "Oh! My name's Adachi. I'm Dojima-san's partner. You're Chie Satonaka, right? You were asking your classmates if they had any info when Souji-kun disappeared that one time, right?"

"Yeah. Not that it was much help, though..."

"Well, trust me, Dojima-san really appreciated it!" Adachi grinned, rubbing a finger under his nose before he paused, brow furrowing in thought. "Satonaka, though, hm? That sounds familiar..." he continued to mutter her name under his breath, Chie feeling a chill of awkwardness shoot through her spine. "Oh! I know! You found his body at the Junes parking lot!"

She flinched, images of the night suddenly filing back in her mind. She couldn't see much past the fog, but her heart racing in the cold night, the sensation of everything came rushing back all in an instant. Biting her lip hard enough to try to forget the memory, she looked at the detective who was rubbing the back of his head again.

"Sorry, guess that's something you don't wanna remember, huh?" he apologized. "Well, um, I know you said you'd be fine, but Dojima-san insisted I walk you home, at least. If you don't want me to, that's totally cool, I get it! I think we live in the same direction though, so..."

"I... I guess that'd be fine," she smiled awkwardly. He didn't seem like a bad guy, but it was still kinda... weird. If Dojima insisted, though, she couldn't back down on his good intentions. "...Adachi-san, do you like dogs?"

"Eh?" His face lit up in confusion and surprise at the sudden question, before he turned to walk with her as they headed back down the path. "Well, I guess they're all right... why?"

"My dog Muku tries to jump the fence when I get home." she grinned, emphasizing with her arms. "He's a big ol' porker, and he'll give you nothing but love if you get close enough! He'll probably try to dash the gate if he sees you to say 'hi'. Normally he's really good, but if he sees someone new and the gate's open just a tiiiiiny bit, he'll think it's okay to leave and jump on them!"

"I see." Adachi pursed his lip, voice faded in what seemed like disinterest until he perked up. "So... is he trained? Like, if the gate's closed, he knows to stay in the yard?"

Chie nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! It's only open when we have to get in and out, of course, but he usually knows that, too. Sometimes we do have to push him back when he gets too excited. When I take him for a walk though, we keep it open. The night I... found... y'know... uh he got spooked and ran off home, which is how I ended up finding... y'know... cuz I was looking for him. But, he's a good boy! If he gets spooked out and stuff, he just runs straight home, which is why we keep the gate open when we go for walks. He can also sit and lay down, and we're trying to teach him to roll-over, but he doesn't get it."

"Interesting." She could see Adachi nodding out of the corner of her eye. "You know, I've always been curious, since I've never had a dog, how exactly do you... train them?"

"Ooh, well, with Muku it took a long time, and it was mainly my mom who was teaching him the tricks, but..." She rambled on and on as they walked, Adachi nodding enthusiastically and chiming in with questions here and there until the topic got sidetracked, where she was asking questions about police duty, and Adachi either droning on about boring paperwork, saying something and then immediately paling and asking her not to tell Dojima he said that, or him boasting and exaggerating tales of heroic duties such as... saving a cat from a tree.

"...and did you know I saved Dojima-san's life on a mission?"

Her eyes widened, "Really?! How?!"

"Okay, so we were called to investigate something at the junkyard one night, right?" His voice fell to give more atmosphere to the story, smirk on his face as he told it. "The person who had called it in had been attacked, and the culprit had fled deep into the landfill. We split up into teams and had to go looking, and barricades were set up all around to make sure the culprit didn't get out. Obviously, the guy was playing games with us, because we went through that place around fifty times. Dojima-san was starting to lose his cool, and I was getting a little stir-crazy, too. The smell was really getting to me. Anyway, so, after passing this one part again for the tenth time, I heard something and noticed a guy under a discarded desk. Then, all of a sudden, he charged right for Dojima-san! Lucky for him that I was there! I pushed him out of the way and disarmed the culprit! I mean, sure, he managed to get a hit in, but that's besides the point."

Chie could feel her face light up in astonishment. "That's amazing, Adachi-san! Did you arrest the guy?! What did Dojima-san say?!"

"W-Well, I um..." A light blush formed on Adachi's face as he scratched his cheek. "I... wasn't... conscious... uh... he disarmed the weapon... _into_ me and I kinda... passed out."

"Oh..." her face fell in concern, the awkwardness from earlier quickly flooding back. "A-Are you okay?"

"I am now; nothing to worry about!" He grinned, placing his hands triumphantly on his hips.

"Well, that's good, then." She lifted her head as they rounded the corner to the street her house was on. "My house is just down this way. Did you want to say hi to Muku?"

Adachi paused, a low hum echoing from his throat as he took a moment to think before he shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

It took her, her mom, and her dad before they managed to pry Muku off after he pounced and knocked Adachi to the ground as a greeting.


	27. Chapter 27

She couldn't focus on anything at school. Souji was gone again for the entire day, for one, and now Muku was missing. She woke up to her mom calling the dog's name frantically. The gate was wide open when she woke up, and Muku was nowhere in sight. This time, she was the one to dash out the door the second the bell rang instead of Yosuke. She heard the teen call after her, but she ignored him to continue on her way. Whatever he wanted to talk about today, it could wait for later.

Stepping off school grounds, she whipped open her phone and sped past the students flooding out. The other end answered quickly, and she interrupted before they could even say hello.

"Mom, did you find him yet?!"

"No. I've been all over town and your father still hasn't seen him at home."

"I'm not coming home until we find him, then!"

"Chie, don't be reckle—"

Cutting her mom off by closing her phone, the girl started to sprint, calling for her dog as she went along. She ignored the stares she was getting, continuing on her way until her lungs burned and her legs gave out. She'd managed to run from the school to the shopping district before her legs finally told her to sit down. She pushed herself to the bus stop bench, breathing heavily and leaning her head against the wall behind her as she tried to catch her breath.

"Chie-chan, right?"

She jumped in surprise, coughing and gagging at the suddenness of it all before she barely managed to compose herself, finding herself looking at Adachi who had just rounded the corner. He looked at her in concern, half eaten steak croquette in his hand.

"You doing all right there? Want me to get you a drink or something?"

She could only stare blankly at the croquette as her throat burned and her stomach growled. Suddenly, Adachi was gone, like he wasn't even there to begin with. She rolled her head back to the wall, closing her eyes and trying to ignore all the pain pulsing throughout her body. Then, she felt the presence of something cold near her face, so she opened her eyes to Adachi holding a water bottle for her to take. She unforgivably ripped the bottle from his hands and opened it up, chugging the drink as the man took a seat next to her, watching her closely.

"I'd slow down there, Chie-chan, don't want you getting the hiccups or something, right?" He paused for a second, before adding on, "Or... y'know... don't want you throwing up, either."

Slowly, she took the drink away from her mouth and sat it on her lap, closing her eyes again as she rested for a moment, trying to collect her breathing and calm the pulsations throughout her tired limbs. When she felt her body relax a little, she opened her eyes and looked sheepishly at the detective, before glancing to the bottle in her hands.

"Thanks, Adachi-san."

"Eh?" She perked up at his reply, his face contorted in bright surprise, a small blush on his nose before he scratched the back of his head. "I-It was nothing! Just wanted to make sure you were okay. Oh, here, I thought I could eat both but I'm pretty full from just one, so you can have this."

He grabbed a napkin from off his lap, steak-croquette nested in the middle. She stared at him incredulously for a moment before placing the waterbottle next to her on the bench, and ravenously started to eat the meat without a second thought.

"Woah! Man, you sure wore yourself out, huh?" Adachi laughed hesitantly until his tone fell into a hushed tone. "So... are you okay? Why were you running like that? Did something happen?"

She swallowed her food harshly, setting what was left of the croquette back onto the napkin as she sighed deeply. "Muku got out last night. Either we forgot to close the gate properly or someone opened it as a stupid prank or maybe they were drunk and went to the wrong house... but, he's gone. When school got out I went looking for him. My parents have been driving all around town and they haven't had any luck..."

"Gee, that sucks..." Adachi mumbled. "Is there any place he liked most when you took him for walks? Have you tried looking there?"

Chie nodded. "Yeah, that's the first place my parents looked. He's a really weird dog—he loves the junkyard of all places. I think it must be all the smells, but I don't see why, it smells so bad."

Adachi grinned softly before he tapped his chin in thought, jumping off the bench and scratching the back of his head. "Want me to help you look? My shift just ended so I got all the time in the world. Why don't we go check out the junkyard? He could be on his way back there as we speak."

"You'll help? Really?"

"Well, I don't think we should split up. If he jumps on me again, I wouldn't be able to tell anyone I found him..." he laughed. "But, yeah, I wouldn't mind keeping you company! After all, what kind of police officer would I be if I just let a young girl cry?"

Jumping from the bench, Chie snickered, "Well, I wasn't crying, but thanks, Adachi-san! C'mon, let's get a move on!"

Before Adachi could stutter out a reply, Chie was already marching away, the man taking a moment before rushing to her side. It was an awkward walk, to say the least. They'd start talking before Chie thought she saw something move and call for her dog, only to be met with a cat or a bird. Once, she could have sworn she saw a fox. Adachi was struggling the whole while to match her pace, the girl trying to slow down for him only to speed back up once he did catch up. It took her a moment before she actually managed to stick next to Adachi's side, the two conversing idly and awkwardly as they kept an eye and ear out for Muku.

"So you're friends with Souji Narukami, right? Yesterday was his first day back at school, wasn't it? How was he holding up?"

Chie paused for a moment, recollecting yesterday. "Well... he was definitely better, because he was there! I was really surprised! He didn't talk too much, and spent most of the lessons staring at the wall like he wasn't even listening. It wasn't until it was time to leave when he started writing down notes. He seemed fine until we started walking and he just kinda... I guess he didn't know where he was or something and freaked out..."

Adachi nodded solemnly. "Well, at least he made it through the school day, right? He was probably just exhausted. At least you were there to keep him company; I'm sure he's glad to have you as a friend."

"D-Do you think?" She could feel her face flush in embarrassment as Adachi laughed. She quickly regained her composure as they neared the junkyard. Well, no sign of Muku outside it, they'd have to go in and check.

Without a word, the two passed the opening into the garbage heap, piles scattered around. The first thing she took note of was a curio cabinet in the far corner, the glass broken with pieces scattered on the ground. Some of it looked like it had blood. Shivering, she turned back to follow Adachi who was traipsing along, leaning around corners and calling for the dog. She ended up splitting away from him to cover more ground, but they remained in eye-sight of each other.

"Muuuukuuuu!" She hollered, grabbing hold of a desk and looking under it. Nothing there. She thought she saw blood on the ground, though. Another chill rolling down her spine, she pushed away from the desk and called for her dog once more, trying to ignore the creepy atmosphere that was starting to crawl around her shoulders.

She wandered around a bit more, before pausing and looking around wildly, realising the detective was nowhere to be found. "Adachi-san?" She called out, rubbing her hands together as everything started seeming a little more scarier. He had to be around here somewhere, right? He wouldn't have just left without saying anything! Taking a deep breath, she started walking again, her legs stiff and movements practically robotic. A wind was starting to settle in, whistling quietly in her ears as she wandered through the junkyard, her mind starting to wander with panic as the scenery seemed to get scarier.

When her phone buzzed in her pocket, she almost screamed. With shaking hands, she took it out and flipped it open. Her dad had sent her a text.

"We found Muku! He came back home. See you soon."

A breath of relief quickly exited her system and she responded with an ecstatic text. It felt like the world was lifted off her shoulders, and she scoffed at how silly she'd been acting. It was just a junkyard, what was so scary about giant heaps of trash? All she had to do now was find Adachi and tell him the good news and they could both be on their way home!

A smile on her face and a lighter hop to her step, she continued her way through the junkyard, looking for the detective. She found him near the entrance, by the cabinet with the broken glass. His back was to her, and she couldn't quite see what he was looking at. His hands were shoved deep into his coat pockets, head bowed and cocked to the side like he was confused.

"Adachi-san!" Chie called for him, quickly walking to his side. "Where'd you go? I was getting kinda scared! Oh, but, Muku went back home! I bet you he got scared of a raccoon or something and just went bolting back home." She laughed lightly, before pausing at a thought. "Oh, yeah! I have to thank you for helping me look! Uh... do you like steak? I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if you came over for dinner!"

She stared at him expectantly, but he didn't even give her a glance. Her mood slowly started to fall as she looked at the detective's expression, which almost looked like a mixture of a harsh glare and a blank stare. Chie felt another chill shoot through her body, Adachi slowly turning to look at her.

"Is that Hanamura kid his friend, too?" He asked. His tone sounded completely different, the look in his eyes completely changed from the man she'd been talking to minutes ago.

"W-Well... I... I don't know," she stuttered, her body tensing as his eyes drilled into hers. "Souji thinks... Souji thinks Yosuke hates him, but I don't know why."

Adachi scoffed. "Oh, trust me, Hanamura has every reason to hate him. You remember what I told you yesterday?"

She stalled for a moment, recollecting all the little topics they conversed about the other day. Then she remembered the one where he said he'd saved Dojima's life... in this junkyard. Was... that where all the blood was from? What did that have to do with Souji and Yosuke?

It looked like he understood her confusion as he responded to her silence with a snort and a roll of his eyes. "The culprit that attacked the caller? That was Souji. The caller? Yosuke Hanamura."

She felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach, her throat becoming dry. The reason Yosuke was so mad and tired the other day was because Souji had attacked him? Obviously that meant Souji had been hallucinating—Yosuke couldn't fault him for that, right...? Then again, that was a pretty nasty scar on his cheek... Chie probably would be apprehensive, too, if she was in his shoes.

"And then he tried to kill his dear old uncle, but I took the fall. All of us got lucky, y'know?" Adachi continued with a short click of his tongue. "I wonder... will you get lucky, too?"

She felt her blood run cold, the heat rush away from her face. She wanted to take a step back, to _run_ , but she found herself rooted in place as she noticed his hand tapping his gun in its holster. Gulping didn't help ease the dryness in her throat; if anything, it just made it worse. "Wh... What do you mean?"

"Have you ever heard of the Midnight Channel?" His voice was soft, but sharp, an angry hiss accompanying every word, but there was dark amusement hinted in his eyes.

"T-The Midnight Channel?" she parroted. It sounded vaguely familiar, like she'd heard it in passing at school, but she wasn't sure what it is.

"Apparently, if you look into a turned off TV at midnight on a rainy night, you'll see your soulmate." He paused, before clicking his tongue again with a curious smile, glancing to the side. She took a short look at what he'd been looking at when she arrived. A TV. It was missing the buttons to change the channels, but everything else seemed okay.

"Or... it can show you something about the future, if you think of it like that. Why bother with a soulmate, right? Those never work out." His face fell dark again, the expression absolutely unlike the cheery, awkward man she'd met yesterday.

She finally felt herself take a step back, freezing when Adachi snapped to attention, staring her down and hand gripping tightly to the gun still in its holster. She could hear hear heart hammering in her head, and it felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. Tears were brimming at the corner of her eyes, but panic and fear refused to actually allow them to fall. She could barely feel her legs anymore.

"I-I don't understand. W-What are you going to do to me?" her voice was coming out as barely a whisper, and she could only focus on the gun, scared to look him in the eye. "W-What does this M-Midnight Channel thing do?"

Adachi sighed. "I just told you, didn't I? You see your soulmate, you see something about your future, you see a person who's going to die, you see whatever bull the next rumour has to offer. But since Souji-kun got lucky the first time... and then the second... I wonder, what's gonna happen to you when you're on it?"

"Wh-What?"

"Will he come to save you? You're his only friend, after all."

"W-What are you talking about?"

"When will this lucky streak finally run out?" he hummed. The questions weren't even directed at her anymore, the man seemingly ignoring her as he took the revolver out from its holster. "I bet it's going to end with poor Chie-chan."

"D-Don't—don't, p-please—" Everything was trembling, from her hands to her legs. Her head was reeling and her throat was dry and she thought she was going to throw up. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Absentmindedly and against her better judgement, she started to reach for it, thinking maybe the detective hadn't heard it and wouldn't notice. She was greeted to being roughly pulled forward by the arm, turned so that her back was to the TV and she was staring him down.

Kick him and run. Kick him and run. Everything was screaming at her to kick him and run, but the gun was digging into her shoulder. She was petrified.

Adachi didn't say a word as he pushed her backward, and she felt her back hit the TV. Then, it felt like she was suddenly getting pushed into a pool. She screamed as the scenery of the junkyard faded before her past a white veil and she felt herself falling, Adachi letting go of her arm. As quickly as he had, she'd brought her hands right back up. She watched her arms pass through the white screen, and felt the man's hand. Chie gripped on with all that she could, watching as Adachi was pulled halfway through the screen, and she paled as she was face to face with the gun. She'd grabbed his hand with the gun.

"You little—let go of me!"

"No!" She yelled, ushering all of her strength to reach even farther up his arm, digging her nails through his suit. She screamed again as she felt herself suddenly dip, Adachi almost all the way through the screen. He must have been digging his shoes deep into the ground. She could see he was struggling to stay balanced. She saw what looked to be his eyes flickering, changing colours and hues from dark coal to distant purples and sometimes a bright yellow.

She heard a loud bang, ringing screeching throughout her ears as she felt something warm seep down her shoulder. Chie knew what had happened, but in the same thought, she couldn't process it at all. She _wouldn't_ process it. Her fingers slowly loosened on Adachi's shirt, her vision wavering and blurring with tears and panic and shock.

She felt herself falling, and the last thing she remembered thinking was that Muku got home safe and sound.

She'd have to give him a big hug when she got back...


	28. Chapter 28

Her desk was empty again. It'd been on the news last night that she had gone missing, but a part of him had hoped she'd be sitting in class today. Yukiko was still gone, too, but that was explained with her being busy at the inn. Chie was just… gone.

Kidnapped.

He found it hard to believe. The great Chie Satonaka, kung-fu extraordinaire, getting kidnapped. She always talked tough and had the kicks to shatter shins, but… it was one thing to talk tough and another thing to experience it. His skin crawled as he brought his fingers to brush against the scar on his cheek. He remembered the fear and panic that shot through his body at that moment, and wondered if Chie felt the same with her predicament.

Yosuke faltered when the seat in front of him moved, and he saw Souji slowly lower himself to the desk. Yosuke glared, a knot twisting in his gut. Souji was involved in the kidnapping; that's what his instincts were screaming. Maybe it didn't make sense—but it made sense. It had to. He'd make it make sense. If Narukami could attack him without warrant, what could he do to Chie? Yosuke felt his heart beat faster. What if Narukami had freaked out again and… killed Chie? What if he'd panicked and disposed of her body? She'd grown so attached to the transfer student in such a short amount of time, Yosuke knew she'd never see the attack coming.

Souji was involved. He did it. It made sense.

At least, that's what his instincts were telling him.

Yosuke couldn't focus on the lectures; all he could do was glare at Souji's back, his mind conjuring up scenarios of how his classmate could have kidnapped or hurt Chie. The more he thought of it, the more he was certain Souji did it. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but that didn't change the fact he had something to do with it. Him coming to school without even a hint of remorse...

This whole thing made Yosuke's blood boil.

The bell rang for the end of school, and Yosuke quickly packed up his stuff. Souji hadn't moved an inch, but was staring straight ahead at the wall. Gritting his teeth, Yosuke stormed out of the room and out of the school, pacing slightly by the school gates as he wrung his hands around his headphones. Students quickly flooded out onto the pathway, some sparing him the odd glance before continuing on their way. Minutes passed before he stopped his pacing, opting to lean against the gate, tapping his fingers against his sleeve as he waited. Anger was bubbling up inside of him, and all it was doing was screaming that he needed to follow Souji. Maybe he'd be led to the scene of the crime. He'd be a hero.

Or, he could just get stabbed again.

A shiver crawled up his spine, the chill intensifying when he spotted Souji from the corner of his eye. The teen still had a distant look to his face as he walked off, completely ignoring the fact that Yosuke was even there. He waited for a moment until he pushed himself away from the gate. He shoved his hands into his pockets and slouched, continuing to glare at Souji's back as he kept a few paces behind him.

Minutes passed as Yosuke slowly followed the unaware Souji. Other than the stiff, practically robotic movements from Souji, nothing seemed out of the ordinary that he could tell. His instincts were starting to waver, but then he remembered the scar on his cheek and they came back just as fast. Souji was... unstable. He would, and could, hurt Chie without realizing it. He did it. He must have.

Nobody else had motivation to attack her. Even if Souji didn't mean it, there was an explanation.

They were nearing the shopping district. He brought his hands out from his pockets and shook them lightly, able to feel the harsh nail-lines embedded into his skin from how long he'd kept them curled into fists. He didn't see anybody else in sight. A lone vehicle passed them, and Yosuke realized the two of them were alone then. He felt the anger take over his system.

"Narukami!" He heard himself yell. When Souji paused in his stride and turned around, Yosuke closed the remaining distance and punched him to the concrete.  
\---

His face hurt. That was the only thing that he really registered before he realized he was on the ground. Yosuke was towering over him, breathing heavy and hard. Souji blinked slowly, and he thought he felt something dripping down his chin. Before he could lift up a hand to investigate, Yosuke was driving his knees into his abdomen, forcefully grabbing his collar and lifting Souji up.

"Where is she?!" Yosuke yelled, spit hitting Souji in the face. "What did you do with Chie?!"

Souji shut his eyes and winced. What did he mean? What was he talking about?! She was missing, he learned that the other night after Dojima sat him down... Yosuke... thought he had something to do with it? His breath caught in his throat. Did he? Did he just... not remember?

His eyes snapped open at the thought, Yosuke before him flickering into a vision of himself with the yellow eyes. A fog slowly enveloped the area, the construct of a house appearing around them. He could see the globs of shadows clawing at the windows. His shadow was yelling at him.

"Answer me, damnit! What did you DO?!"

He could hear the creaks of the house, the scratching at the windows, the harsh knocking and the rattling of the doorknob. His other self—no... it was... Yosuke... right?—lifted his hand and Souji flinched, ducking his head and waiting for the strike. It never came.

"D-Dojima-san, I—" Yosuke's trembling voice cracked through to his senses and Souji slowly opened his eyes. Yosuke looked like Yosuke again. The fog and house and amalgamations of shadows were gone. His uncle was there, gripping onto Yosuke's wrist, fury in his eyes.

"Hands behind your back, Yosuke."

"B-But, D-Dojima-san, I j—"

"Now."

He watched as his uncle yanked Yosuke to his feet, the brunette stuttering and stammering some more before sighing in defeat, putting his hands behind his back. Souji blinked slowly, finally able to lift a shaky hand to touch the warmth seeping down his chin. He brought his fingers away to look. There was red staining his fingers. Was he bleeding? He guessed so.

His face hurt.

"Are you all right, Souji?" Dojima's voice was softer compared to moments ago as he helped the teen to his feet. Souji stared at the blood on his fingers, unable to even muster a nod or shake of his head. He looked over at Yosuke, who was looking at his feet and shuffling awkwardly.

Had... he really done something to Chie? His heart started to pound explicitly. When did it happen? He thought he'd have some recollection but there was... nothing! What did Yosuke know?! What did he do?! Where was Chie?! Why was she gone?! His head started to hurt with every heart beat, his face heating up as he felt tears flourish down his cheeks. He didn't mean to... God, he didn't mean to...

He felt Dojima wrap an arm around his shoulders, the words of comfort lost to him as he continued to sob out of confusion and anxiety. The next thing he knew, he was at the police station in an interrogation room, Adachi opposite him.

He blinked slowly, tears still slowly rolling down his face. He felt something cold in his fingers and on his lip, realizing he was holding an ice pack. His face still hurt. Adachi looked at him with pity before he pulled out a notebook.

"Are you okay to talk, Souji-kun?"

"...where's uncle?"

The pity only seemed to intensify. "He's in the other room with the Hanamura kid. Did you want me to go and get him?"

"No... it's... okay..." he mumbled, pulling the icepack away and placing it lightly on the table. He paused to touch his lip, wincing at the pain that shot through, even past the numbness from the ice. Adachi still looked at him with pity. Souji took a deep breath and sighed, forcing his hands to his sides. "Are you going... to question me...?"

"If you're up for it. You seem a little... not."

Souji glanced away, taking another deep breath. "...It's ok."

Adachi shrugged. "Well, if you say so," clearing his throat, the detective took a pen out of his pocket and tapped it to the paper in his notepad. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I was... walking to the gas station where Uncle said he'd meet me... after school... I heard Yosuke call my name... and then I was on the ground..." He squinted, bringing up a hand to touch his lip despite himself. He could feel it was split.

"How did you get on the ground, Souji-kun? Did he punch you?"

Souji faltered. That... made sense. He hadn't really thought about it. He slowly nodded.

"Do you know why he punched you? Did you do anything to provoke it?"

Souji felt his chest tighten again as Yosuke's questions drilled and echoed in his head. 'What did you do to Chie?!' 'Where is she?!' He felt the tears spring right back up with his headache as he hugged himself, breathing coming out in harried waves as panic overflowed his system again.

"H-H-He..." he stammered, his gut twisting and turning as his imagination ran wild with the questions. "H-H-He w... was... asking—"

"Woah woah, calm down, Souji-kun, it's okay. Breathe. You're okay." Adachi's sentiments rang hollow. He wasn't okay.

Souji looked up at Adachi, trying to keep his shaking to a minimum as he spouted, "Did I d-do s-something to C-Chie?"

Adachi's eyes widened in surprise and confusion, grip on the pen loosening. There was a pause before Adachi laughed. "Did Yosuke think you did something?" Adachi shook his head and sighed whimsically. "Souji-kun, there's nothing to worry about. You were with Dojima-san and Nanako-chan the night she went missing, remember? You have an absolute alibi."

Souji hiccuped, looking at the detective in disbelief. "R-Really...? I... I didn't... do anything...?"

"Do you remember doing anything? What did you do on the twenty-seventh?" Adachi inquired, leaning forward to rest his chin in his palm.

"I..." Souji faltered. What did he do three days ago...? Even that was hard for him to remember but he knew he stayed home from school. Dojima had taken the day off to keep an eye on him. Nanako was ecstatic Dojima was home for the entire day and she made him read her a story before bed... He never left the house. "I... didn't do anything..."

"You see! You have nothing to worry about, Souji-kun! You don't seem the type to hurt anybody anyw—" He looked up as Adachi stopped mid-sentence, the man's expression sour as he looked at his shoulder. A wave of guilt hit Souji like a brick. Adachi must have noticed, because he jumped in his seat and plastered on a smile. "I-I mean normally! When you're not... uh... y'know... You didn't mean it, Souji-kun. You're a good kid. Don't worry about it too much, okay?"

He remained silent. A good kid? He didn't feel like he was.

Both of them glanced over when the door slowly opened and Dojima walked inside, a folder in his hand and Hamasaki following close behind. Hamasaki gave him a short wave while Dojima stood next to Adachi and grabbed the man's notepad, looking it over. He nodded curtly before handing it back to Adachi.

"They both match up," Dojima confirmed, looking to Souji with hesitance. "Yosuke's parents are here. They're questioning if you want to press charges."

Souji glanced away. Yosuke was just worried about Chie... He was, too... He didn't know why Yosuke thought he did it, but... He felt like he understood. No, of course he understood. He questioned himself. He thought he did it. He thought he hurt or kidnapped Chie like Yosuke thought.

"No." Souji looked back to his uncle. "He just... He's worried about Chie..."

"That still doesn't excuse what he did," Dojima reminded. Despite the stern stance, his voice was soft.

Souji smiled sadly. "Did I get an excuse... for what I did to him and Adachi-san...?"

He watched the three adults' faces drop and pale, Dojima the first to speak. "Souji, that... that's different."

He lightly tapped the cut on his lip again, the pain ringing throughout his face in sharp waves.


	29. Chapter 29

After the interrogations were done and settled, Dojima drove Souji back home after confirmation that his split lip wasn't in need of stitches. Nanako greeted him happily before her face fell in concern at the sight of his bruised face. She doted on him to the best of her ability, saying she was his nurse again, like on the first couple of days when he'd arrived. How long had he been in Inaba now...? It was going to be July tomorrow—he'd been here for four months. He found himself unable to believe it, trying to wonder where the time had gone when he remembered the majority of it he spent in a hospital bed.

Souji looked over as Nanako stifled a yawn where she sat at the table, tiredly rubbing her eyes. She was barely able to hold the crayons in her hand, let alone continue colouring in her book. He shifted on the couch to sit up, giving her a smile he could manage without aggravating his wound. "You should sleep, Nanako..."

The girl looked at him, shaking her head slowly, almost falling over at the action. "I'm your nurse..! I have to take care of you!"

Talk about deja vu. Souji laughed quietly, getting up off the couch and helping Nanako to her feet. "Nurses need sleep..." She looked at him with a short pout, another yawn out of her mouth. She nodded in tired defeat, dragging her feet while Souji guided her to her room.

"Good night, big bro..." she mumbled as she crawled into her futon. He never knew what washed over him when she said that, but it always made him feel lighter. Something he needed these days.

"Good night, Nanako." He closed her bedroom door quietly behind him and trudged his way back to the living room, stopping short when he heard the front door open. He looked through the hallway, the voice of his uncle and Adachi ringing through the house. Adachi gave him a short wave and a grin as he walked past, practically throwing himself onto the couch as if he owned it, Dojima rolling his eyes before he ducked to the fridge.

"Is Nanako in bed?" Dojima questioned.

"Yeah, she just w—" Souji paused at his uncle suddenly cursing.

"We're outta beer. I'm gonna jump over to Junes real quick. Don't do anything dumb, Adachi."

Adachi perked up, glancing at Dojima with confusion. "D-Dojima-san, what could I possibly do?"

Dojima shrugged, slipped on his shoes and left the house without another word. Without a word himself, Souji sat back down on the couch where he'd been before, staring absentmindedly at the TV when Adachi switched it to the news. The weather report was on. It was going to rain tomorrow.

"Speaking of rain," Adachi hummed, twirling a finger in the air before giving Souji a curious grin. "Have you ever heard of the Midnight Channel, Souji-kun?"

The teen stared at the TV ahead and squinted, trying to recall if he'd heard of such a thing. His memory was muddled enough already, was he told and forgot? Was Adachi just trying to pull his leg? The Midnight Channel... The Midnight Channel... Hmm... Wait—Adachi mentioned rain with it. Rain and midnight and a channel... When had he... fallen into the Tvs, again...? It was... raining. It was... midnight... Was that... Was that the Midnight Channel? He sucked in breath through his teeth but didn't say a word, tapping his fingers silently on the back of his other hand as his mind whirled. He could see Adachi lean forward in his peripheral, trying to catch his attention. Souji didn't move. It felt like he was sitting with the world on his back.

Adachi chuckled lightly, "Wait, of course you haven't, you've been in the hospital! So the rumours say that if you watch a turned off TV at midnight on a rainy night, you'll see something important to you."

Souji furrowed his brow. That didn't make sense. If what he'd seen been the Midnight Channel, how come all he saw was static? He looked at Adachi, giving the older man a confused glance, Adachi rubbing under his nose with a finger before his grin turned into a small pout as he stared into the distance. "Or," he mumbled, now resting his chin in his palm, "was it something about your future...? A soulmate...? There's so many variations now..."

Something important? Future? Soulmate? If he had seen the Midnight Channel those two times, why did he only see static? What did that mean? Did that mean... there was nothing... for him? His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as the sound of white noise quickly overshadowed his thoughts, the teen leaning forward and cradling his head in his hands as nausea overtook his system. He was supposed to be dead. No... he _did_ die. Twice. He died twice. He wasn't supposed to be alive. They still didn't know how he came _back_ to life, as far as he knew. He wasn't supposed to be alive. He... wasn't supposed to be...

"Y'know, Souji-kun," Adachi's voice rang through the static in his mind, the man rubbing short circles on his back. His voice was soft and soothing, and yet something felt like he was regretful. "Dojima-san saw you on the Midnight Channel."

Souji lowered his left hand so he could clearly see Adachi, the man giving him a tired smile as he continued, "You were running. Apparently you didn't have a sling on or a hospital gown or anything, even though it was the time you disappeared from the hospital. You seemed pissed off, I guess, because Dojima-san said it seemed like you were chasing something."

Immediately, Souji knew that the image had been of his Shadow. He looked away from Adachi and buried his head back into his hands, taking deep breaths as he felt his entire body tremble. If Dojima saw his Shadow and not... and not _him_... what did that mean? Was his Shadow supposed to... take his place in the real world? No, that didn't seem right. If that was supposed to happen, why hadn't Yamano's Shadow replaced her?

"You okay, Souji-kun?"

Adachi kept rubbing circles on his back, Souji doing nothing but trying to calm his breathing and quaking nerves. He looked harshly at his knees as he dug the heels of his palms into his temples, questions flying through his mind at a rapid pace, repeating and looping and overlapping and giving him a headache. He shook his head slowly, lifting himself up off the couch before he moved his unwilling legs across the floor. His head hurt. His lip burned.

"S-Souji-kun, where are you going?"

He didn't grace Adachi with an answer while he made his way upstairs, pushing himself into his room and collapsing onto the couch in there. With the door closed, he could barely hear the TV from downstairs. It was quiet. Sighing heavily, Souji leaned his head on the back of the couch, closing his eyes and trying to collect his breathing and calm his rapidly confused heartbeat. The questions still ran rampant around his thoughts with no signs of deteriorating, headache pulsing in his skull. He found himself pressing on his lip, as if that would stop the thoughts from spurring. It didn't, of course, and everything just ended up hurting more. Shifting on the couch, Souji lowered himself to lie down, burying his face into one of the pillows, continuing to heave heavy breaths.

What did it mean? What did it mean what did it mean what did it mean?

Maybe it didn't mean anything. Maybe the "Midnight Channels" he saw hadn't actually been "Midnight Channels". Maybe the TV's were just... faulty. Rolling his head to the side, he peered at the small TV on the desk across from him. There was nothing displayed on it except for a dim reflection of the room. No static. No image. Nothing.

He lay there, doing nothing except stare at the empty screen. He heard the door open downstairs and his uncle walk inside, but the conversation between him and Adachi was lost. The questions slowly faded to a reasonable amount, his breathing taking its time to regulate while he did nothing. His knuckles were digging into his lip the way he was sitting, the teen dealing with the pain until he couldn't stand it anymore, sitting back up and sighing heavily.

Nobody had told him outright that he'd attacked Yosuke, but when he saw him briefly at school the first day he came back and the brunette stormed off, he just... he _knew._ Souji didn't blame him for getting angry and avoiding him, or even giving him the split lip... he didn't even blame Yosuke for accusing him of whatever happened with Chie. He second-guessed himself just as fast. Maybe it'd just be best if he didn't leave the house. Ever. He could take online lessons for school and just... do it at his own pace, away from... everyone.

Chie would be upset though. She'd want to see him at school.

If she was still alive.

Souji thought he'd start crying at the thought of never seeing Chie again, but everything instead seemed to grow numb and distant, the headache even freezing over into a dull hum instead of constant pounding. Souji sat there for what felt like weeks, but it was possibly only a couple of minutes at most, everything about him lost to the senses and his surroundings.

The Midnight Channel shows something you care about. Your future. Soulmate?

Souji stood up, but it felt more like he was being pushed and pulled along by string, his body moving on its own as he rounded the coffee table to peer close at the TV. Nothing but his ghostly-reflection echoed in the glass. With all the weight in the world, he raised his arm and then simply paused. It wasn't raining. It wasn't close to midnight. What was he hoping to achieve?

He put his hand on the screen. It dipped through like the glass was nothing but water. Souji flexed his fingers in the other world, never really realized how cold it felt before through his panic. He pulled his arm out, rotating his hand to get a good look at it. There was no scratching or clawing or hissing monsters latching onto him.

The Midnight Channel shows something.

Maybe he'd see something other than static next time.

...Did he want to see anything though? Did he want to know why he could even... _do this_?

Souji bit his lip and shut his eyes, restarting the cycle of questions in his head.


	30. Chapter 30

Souji didn’t sleep well. If he wasn’t questioning Chie’s whereabouts, he was questioning the Midnight Channel. If he wasn’t questioning the Midnight Channel, he was questioning the reason why he was alive after dying twice. If he wasn’t questioning that, he was burying his face into his pillow, trying to force himself to sleep. It didn’t help, to say the least.

He trudged downstairs once sunlight barely filtered through his window and he could hear birds chirping in the distance. There were beer cans littered on the living room table, and Dojima passed out on the couch. Again, guilt filled him up like it belonged in his bloodstream, knowing he was causing his relative nothing but stress and anxiety since his arrival to Inaba. Souji sighed shortly. Maybe everything would have been better off had he never come here in the first place. Perhaps his parents should have just hired a year-round nanny. None of this would have happened, then.

“Hey, Souji-kun, what’re you doing up so early?” The teen jumped at the sudden voice behind him, whirling around to see Adachi drying his hands off on his pants. “Oh, sorry, did I startle you?”

Souji stared, perplexed, before taking a quick glance at his uncle still passed out on the couch. Adachi laughed softly, “I crashed on the floor. It just kinda happened. Sorry if I freaked you out, last night. You just ran upstairs without warning.”

“I… um… I had a headache.” Technically, it wasn’t a lie.

Adachi clicked his tongue knowingly, “Needed to get away from the noisy TV and the noisy detective, huh? I understand.” He pat Souji on the shoulder reassuringly. “You wanna sit outside for a sec? The cold air might wake you up a bit—you look like a zombie!”

Souji didn’t get much choice in an answer when Adachi lightly turned him and started pushing him towards the front door. He felt his whole body freeze when Adachi made him sit on the concrete step leading to the house outside, and he could see Adachi tense when he sat down as well. The sky was peaking with a dim layer of blue, but, off in the distance, Souji could see the ominous clouds ready to bring rain starting in the afternoon. Would he see static, he wondered.

He flinched when Adachi suddenly leaned close, whispering, “I heard Chie was last spotted at the junkyard.”

He looked at the detective incredulously, confused. Why would she be there?

“There’s no trace, though. We’ve got teams all over looking for her, and it’s like she just… vanished. Poof. Gone.” Adachi paused, before adding, “Exactly like you, Souji-kun.”

Souji stared at the detective, who was looking to the road and sitting hunched over, almost like he had no cares in the world. Something didn’t feel right, but Souji wondered if that was also just the exhaustion speaking.

“They don’t want to ask you again, seeing how most people think the case is unrelated, but I have a feeling the same guy that took you also took Chie-chan.” Adachi lowered his voice to a hushed whisper again, looking over his shoulder at the closed door before turning back to the teen. “You woke up at the junkyard, right? Do you remember if the villain took you there in the first place after taking you from home or the hospital?”

Souji looked at his knees and chewed on his lip, ignoring the pain that surged from the still-recovering injury. He felt tears burn up in his eyes out of frustration. “No…”

“Do you think it’s your parents?”

He lifted his head in surprise, looking at Adachi incredulously. The man met his gaze, expression unreadable. “M-M-My _parents_?” Souji parroted, “Y-You think they kidnapped Chie?”

Adachi shrugged. “Maybe they kidnapped you, too. From what I heard and saw, they weren’t too thrilled to have to come out and see you in that hospital, right?”

Souji’s heart hammered enough to fill his ears, and he could feel his face flushing in confusion. “B-But… but… _why_?”

“I mean, we don’t have any evidence, of course. It’s just a theory floating around the office. Don’t tell Dojima-san I mentioned it, or he’ll have my hide.” Adachi looked over his shoulder again and leaned close once more. “But, they don’t see like good parents to me, Souji-kun. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility your parents could be involved.”

Souji was shaking uncontrollably, his body temperature rising with stress. Why was Adachi telling him this? He didn’t understand. “D-Don’t say things l-like that…” he stuttered. “H-How w-would you like it… i-i-i-if I accused y-you of being the k-kidnapper!”

There was a beat. Despite the heat from anxiety flooding his body, Souji also felt a sudden chill wash over him. He glanced over slowly to the detective, the man looking at him with wide eyes and pursed lips. Silence fell between the duo, and Souji thought even the birds stopped chirping, until Adachi snorted and started going into a laughing fit.

“A-Aw man, I’m sorry, kid. Me and my big mouth got babbling on too much, and right after I apologized for freaking you out, too!” Adachi grinned, ruffling his hair. “Try to forget everything I just told you, all right? We’ll find Chie-chan, I’m sure of it! And, well, if I’m wrong, you can always smack me upside the head like Dojima-san does!”

In all honesty, Souji wanted to smack him right then and there, but his confused and horrified nerves stopped him from doing so. The guilt, too. Adachi was still being gentle with that one shoulder. The detective stared out onto the street, suddenly mumbling, “Isn’t it weird how the neighbours didn’t see anybody leave the house? How they didn’t see me approach?”

Souji looked at him, Adachi never glancing away from the street. What was he talking about?

“Oh well!” Adachi hummed and quickly jumped to his feet. “I gotta get going, Souji-kun. Thank Dojima-san for letting me stay the night, ok? Cya later!”

“Bye…” Before he knew it, Adachi was nothing but a speck in the distance.

Scratching the back of his neck, Souji slowly got to his feet and headed back inside, Dojima milling about slowly in the kitchen where he could hear the coffee brewing.

“Morning,” his uncle yawned, rubbing an eye with the heel of his palm. “Heard Adachi and you talking outside. He wasn’t annoying you, was he?”

Souji paused, staring at his feet. “He, um…” he stuttered, wondering if he should mention the fact that Adachi told him his parents were suspects. He didn’t want to upset his uncle, though. Dojima was dealing with enough with just… having Souji there to begin with.

“What’s wrong? What’d that idiot say?”

Souji tensed when his uncle placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, racking his brain for a reply before simply stating, “He said you guys will… find Chie.”

Dojima sighed, “I see…” and he knew his uncle wanted to say more, but the man couldn’t find the words and left it at that.

\---

The day had been quiet. Dojima left for work, Nanako left for school, and Souji stayed home and watched TV. It had started raining, and was pouring down even harder by the time Nanako retreated to bed. Souji sat on the couch in his room, staring at his TV while the rain drummed along his window. His whole body felt like lead, staring at his reflection in the screen.

He could see the brief flicker of yellow in his eyes on the screen.

The Midnight Channel, huh? He couldn’t help but be curious. Was it the same phenomenon of static when he was pulled into those other worlds? How come Adachi said you would see a person, when all he saw was static? He glanced to his phone sitting in his hand and turned it on. The screen dimly lit up his room and showed him the time.

11:42

He’d find out soon enough. It wasn’t like he could sleep anyway.

The rain continued to drum on the window behind him, thunder transitioning in in the background. But, then the thunder got more frequent. Louder. Faster and louder still and past it he could hear tiny taps of Nanako running up the stairs with small knocks on his door. Opening it, he found his cousin standing, fingers curled up in her pajamas in anxiousness as she looked at him with giant eyes.

“S-S-Someone’s trying to b-b-break in.”

Of course it wasn’t thunder. Quickly, Souji ushered Nanako into Dojima’s empty bedroom and unlocked his phone. Hiding Nanako in Dojima’s closet, he went through his contacts as the knocking on the front door become even more ushered and frequent. If the neighbours hadn’t called the police yet, they would have now. Hopefully.

“H-Here, I’m calling your dad,” Souji explained, handing his cousin the phone. “Whatever you hear… don’t leave the closet… ok? Not until someone you know comes to get you… ok?”

She grabbed at his sleeve in confusion, eyes brimming with tears as the knocking felt like it was starting to shake the whole house. “B-Big Bro, no no, don’t leave me h-here!”

“You’ll be ok…” He mustered a smile, hitting the call button on the phone before closing the closet door, and then the bedroom door as he left. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he looked back into his room at the blank TV before heading down the stairs. His steps were slow, hair standing on end while anxiety crawled through his veins and nipped at his nerves. He could hear the gurgling of those Shadows, hear the scratching at the windows, the intense shaking of the doorknob, the banging of the door, the heavy rain assaulting his mind. He saw himself in the reflection of the glass door in the living room, and thought he saw yellow in his eyes.

His throat was dry, and swallowing only made it worse as he edged towards the front door. It looked almost ready to burst off its hinges. He wasn’t expecting it to actually happen when he got close, the door swinging back with horrific force and side-swiping his face. Leaning against the wall in pain, Souji blinked heavily, feeling blood pooling from his nose, from his lip. His face tingled as he brushed his fingers against it, until his wrist was forced back and he was shoved to the floor.

Souji looked up in terror, only to be filled with anguish at the sight of his parents. His father started towards him, mother standing behind and blocking the door. Souji couldn’t move, not even when Yuudai towered over him and grabbed him by the elbow.

“You worthless fucking brat,” Yuudai seethed, before spitting in Souji’s face. “Do you _know_ what you’ve done? Do you _know_ what you’ve just cost your mother and I?!”

“I-I-I don’t k—” he couldn’t finish, his sentence interrupted with a harsh slap and a silent cry of agony.

“OF COURSE YOU DON’T! YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!”

Another slap. Another. And then it was a punch and he was seeing stars and red and his face hurt. His face hurt so much. And he was still getting yelled at, his mother’s piercing screams added into the mix. The rain, the yelling, the ringing in his ears, the cracking at the windows, the pounding on the walls, the stars in his eyes and the rain wouldn’t stop yelling and it all merged into his ears and struck his brain. Again and again and again. It was merciless. It was torture. It was only going on for possible seconds, but it felt like years—like time had stopped moving and the only thing that existed was the pain and the drumming.

And then he heard the static cut through it all. With strength he didn’t even know he had, Souji shoved his father off of him, the man toppling backwards and sending Shiori to the ground with him. Scrambling to his feet, Souji rushed to the living room only a few paces away, ignoring the swelling of his eye, the broken nose and the blood dripping down his face. Past the static on the screen he saw an image. There on the screen was Chie Satonaka, motionless. He felt his heart ache unsure if it was happiness or sadness.

There wasn’t any time to confirm when he felt himself getting tackled, the sound of glass shattering through his ears, the _feel_ of glass shattering into his arm and leg. The rain hit his body in cool waves, the boy not realizing how warm he felt with the blood and adrenaline running out of his body. Yuudai grabbed him again, and all he felt, all he heard, were the horrific screeches and claws of the Shadows. He thought he saw the man’s eyes turn yellow.

Screaming only a guttural sound, Souji scratched and clawed at Yuudai until he was free, scrambling yet again to his feet, grabbing a shard of glass before he started running around the house. He managed to make it to the streets, and his throat burned as he yelled and pleaded for help. It felt like the rain was drowning him out.

His mother’s voice instead overcame the rain, “SOUJI! STOP!!”

He did. God, he didn’t know why, but his legs stopped carrying him. They wouldn’t obey his commands to keep running. The rain fell and leaked into his wounds, stinging them and blurring his starry-filled vision. His breath came out in quick tumbles, and he knew he was on the verge of hyperventilating. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go home.

…No. No. No, he didn’t want to go home.

There was a hand on his shoulder. It wasn’t comforting. It wasn’t Dojima’s. It was forceful. It was his dad’s. The lights went off in his brain and his body whirled around, ready to push the man away. Instead, he watched as the glass in his hand sliced through his father’s neck, hear the horrified gurgling as the man crumpled to the road, the shrill shriek from his mother. He was covered in blood. He was covered in his dad’s blood. He couldn’t stop staring as he watched Yuudai’s life fade from his eyes.

And then his dad stopped moving.

Hands around his neck. Choking him. Shiori was over him—when had he got on the ground? Her fake nails dug into his throat. It hurt to breathe.

“You worthless, useless, disgusting, murderous little shit!” She seethed, eyes filled with nothing but hatred. Of rage. “First, you kill your brother, and now your own father?! You should be the one who’s dead! YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BORN!”

Even as his vision blurred, the stars and dots covering his sights, the rain humming out the sound of his heartbeat and the breath unable to catch in his lungs, he couldn’t look away from her eyes. They didn’t look yellow. They looked almost red—sometimes black, as though there was nothing left.

Even when the pressure from his neck was lifted, as his mother was dragged away screaming and hollering that she was doing the world a favour, screaming that Souji was the murderer, not her, her eyes remained dark and dead. With the police lights and the porch lights from neighbours looking in curiosity, he looked to the side to give his burning eyes a rest, only to be greeted with the lifeless eyes of his father. Yeah… Shiori looked the same.

If he looked in the mirror, Souji thought… no, he knew. The same.

He didn’t fight it when his head was delicately pushed the other way, blinking slowly at the sight of a very blurry and very concerned Adachi and Hamasaki. Quickly enough, Dojima was there behind them, moving Adachi out of the way. He was saying something, but Souji couldn’t catch it past the rain.

The rain was drumming so hard with the ringing in his ears it sounded like static.

As he closed his eyes, Souji found himself realizing… that he was the only one who could save Chie.

 


End file.
